Super Eagles forward Victor Boniface delivered a sensational performance after coming off the bench to score a last-minute winner, securing Bayer Leverkusen’s thrilling 4-3 victory over Wolfsburg at the Bay Arena.
Despite being one of the standout players in recent weeks, Boniface lost his starting spot to Patrick Schick after manager Xabi Alonso made five changes to the Leverkusen starters following their comfortable Champions League win over Feyenoord.
However, the Nigerian forward wasted no time proving his worth when called upon.
Boniface strike earns all three points for Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen found themselves trailing early, with Nordi Mukiele inadvertently turning a Mohammed Amoura cross into his own net just five minutes into the match.
Though the hosts quickly equalised through Florian Wirtz after a smart assist from Granit Xhaka, Wolfsburg retook the lead before halftime thanks to goals from Sebastiaan Bornauw and Mattias Svanberg.
Alonso's side leveled the score again early in the second half with Piero Hincapié's header from an Alex Garcia corner, setting the stage for Boniface's heroics.
Boniface came on in the 68th minute and immediately made his presence felt, adding physicality and pace to Leverkusen's attack.
In the 93rd minute, Boniface capitalised on a loose ball after a shot from Exequiel Palacios, expertly swiveling in the box to fire the ball into the net, securing all three points for Leverkusen.
After the match, Boniface said his team was determined to win the game as they rallied themselves at hallf-time in a bid to win the game
Boniface: We knew what we had to do
“We knew how Wolfsburg would play and what to expect from them. At halftime, we rallied ourselves again because we were determined to turn the game around for our fans.
“We managed to do that. Now, of course, we are very happy. ” he added
During his 30-minute cameo, Boniface took two shots on target, including the match-winner, and registered one shot off target.
He had 13 touches, completed five out of six passes with an impressive 83% accuracy, and won both of his ground duels, highlighting his impact in both attack and physical play.
With the win, the reigning Bundesliga champions are second on the table with nine points from four games, three points behind leaders Bayern Munich
