Alonso savors Leverkusen's 'dream season'

Bayer Leverkusen's German league and cup double was the result of players keeping faith in the team throughout what turned into a dream season, coach Xabi Alonso said.

Leverkusen added the German Cup to their Bundesliga crown with a 1-0 victory over second-division Kaiserslautern in the final.

"We showed spirit, we fought for the fans," said Alonso. "It is huge success to win the double. We will remember this."

Leverkusen lost only one of 53 matches across all competitions this season, their only defeat coming in last week's Europa League final against Italian Serie A side Atalanta.

They bounced back against Kaiserslautern despite playing with 10 men for more than half the game and snatched the win courtesy of Granit Xhaka's 16th-minute goal.

"It was a dream season," Alonso said.