'Changed' Xabi says goodbye to Leverkusen fans

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso's past location crippled successful complaint ended successful a 4-2 drubbing by Borussia Dortmund that boosted the visitors' chances of Champions League qualification connected Sunday.

After the crippled Alonso, who is leaving the nine astatine the extremity of the season, spent clip connected the transportation waving to supporters and saying goodbye aft 3 years successful complaint that included a Bundesliga rubric and a German Cup trophy.

"We lived a batch of peculiar moments and it was a mixed feeling successful the past location game. We are thankful for what we achieved successful the past 3 years," Alonso told a property league aft the loss. "I person changed a batch successful these years. We had galore experiences. Luckily astir of them bully ones, contiguous possibly not but I volition hide this 1 quickly. What I lived present successful Leverkusen has been precise special."

Karim Adeyemi scored 1 extremity and acceptable up different for objective Dortmund to enactment 1 constituent down fourth-placed Freiburg with 1 circular of the Bundesliga remaining.

Dortmund adjacent plays relegated Holstein Kiel, portion Freiburg plays Eintracht Frankfurt successful the last round. The apical 4 teams suffice for Europe's premier nine competition.

Third-placed Frankfurt could clinch its spot aboriginal Sunday with a triumph astatine location against St. Pauli, which was conscionable 2 points supra the relegation zone.

Alonso was honored for his interaction astatine the nine earlier kickoff, erstwhile defender Jonathan Tah besides received tributes earlier helium leaves.

Celebrating with Alonso, his squad dominated from the commencement with a big of chances lone to beryllium thwarted by Gregor Kobel successful the Dortmund goal.

"We played a precise bully archetypal fractional but keeper [Dortmund keeper Gregor] Kobel made saves," Alonso said of the result. "In the 2nd half, we were not good. But shot contiguous for maine was not the astir important thing."

Florian Wirtz acceptable up Jeremie Frimpong to interruption the deadlock successful the 31st, erstwhile the Dutch helping backmost ran to Alonso, starring to a squad solemnisation astir the departing coach.

But Julian Brandt replied 2 minutes aboriginal with Dortmund's archetypal changeable connected extremity aft Adeyemi pulled the shot back.

Kobel pulled disconnected large saves to contradict Nathan Tella and past Wirtz, earlier Pascal Groß acceptable up Julian Ryerson to people with Dortmund's 2nd changeable earlier the break.

Leverkusen missed much chances aft it, earlier Brandt sent Adeyemi done to marque it 3-1 successful the 73rd. Serhou Guirassy made definite of the triumph 4 minutes later, earlier Wirtz acceptable up Jonas Hofmann's consolation successful stoppage time.

Information from The Associated Press was utilized successful this story.