Xabi Alonso 'very proud' of Bayer Leverkusen's win over Union Berlin

The 1-0 triumph not only showcased Leverkusen's resilience but also put them in a prime position to secure the Bundesliga title in the upcoming weekend.

With Bayern Munich's defeat on Saturday or Leverkusen's triumph on Sunday, the league title could find its new home sooner than anticipated, adding an extra layer of excitement and anticipation to the final matches of the season.

During the post-match conference, Xabi Alonso couldn't hide his delight as he reflected on his team's remarkable season, their recent success, and eagerly looked forward to their upcoming clash against West Ham United in the Europa League scheduled for Thursday.

"It's great to win here, we had a great game, we have always had a great mentality and today, we showed that again. We trusted ourselves, we had ambition, we now know what happened with Bayern..." said Alonso.

"We had good control today in the second half, we had to be conservative, we couldn’t be free-flowing when Union were pushing. 

"They had good chances but so did we, we can’t attack all the time, we have to wait and be patient. Union had corners in the last ten minutes, they showed their ambition but we did what we needed to.

"I am very proud of my team. The game was typical of our season. We prepared well and went into the game with a lot of mentality. 

"The situation is very good for us now and maybe we can celebrate something on Sunday. But before that, there is the Europa League and that is where all the focus lies."

Alonso's tactical acumen was on full display as he guided Leverkusen through a challenging match against Union Berlin. 

The breakthrough came in dramatic fashion, with Florian Wirtz seizing the opportunity from a penalty kick after a red card incident in first-half added time.