Nigerian striker Victor Boniface made a triumphant return to action in the Bundesliga, scoring the winning goal for Bayer Leverkusen in their 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
Boniface’s heroics came after a harrowing experience with the Super Eagles in Libya.
His goal sealed Leverkusen’s comeback win, ending a two-match winless streak in the Bundesliga.
Xabi Alonso’s side trailed early on after Omar Marmoush converted a penalty for Eintracht Frankfurt.
Robert Andrich’s foul on Marmoush led to the spot-kick, compensating for Leverkusen’s missed penalty opportunity earlier.
Amine Adli drew a foul from Junior Dina Ebimbe, earning Leverkusen a penalty, but Boniface’s effort was thwarted by Kevin Trapp’s impressive save.
Undeterred, Leverkusen equalised before halftime through Andrich’s redemption goal, assisted by Martin Terrier.
In the second half, Hugo Ekitike threatened with a drilled strike, while Boniface missed a header from 10 yards out. Andrich then rattled the woodwork with a stinging strike.
Boniface redeemed himself, capitalising on a defensive mix-up to head home the winning goal.
It is the fifth goal in seven Bundesliga games by the Nigerian striker.
This victory marked Leverkusen’s return to winning ways, keeping their title defence on track ahead of European action.
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Manager Xabi Alonso praised his team’s resilience, saying, “We showed a great mentality by coming back strongly after a missed penalty and a penalty against us. We stuck together really well at the end too. We can build on that.”
The outcome of Saturday’s tie meant in 20 matches, no draws have been recorded in the encounters between these two sides.
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