Super Eagles striker, Victor Boniface, was on target as Bayer Leverkusen earned a 3-1 home win over relegation-threatened Hoffenheim on Sunday, maintaining their chase for the Bundesliga title and staying six points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
The win helped Leverkusen recover from their 2-2 draw at RB Leipzig the previous week, as they maintained their second-place position with 45 points.
Hoffenheim, meanwhile, remain just above the relegation zone in 15th place with 18 points.
Leverkusen took the lead 15 minutes into the game when Victor Boniface, making his return from injury, latched onto Alejandro Grimaldo’s pass and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Luca Philipp at the far post.
Five minutes later, Jeremie Frimpong doubled the advantage with a composed finish into the bottom corner after receiving a well-placed through ball from Aleix Garcia.
Patrik Schick extended the lead to 3-0 early in the second half with a brilliant strike into the top right corner.
Reflecting on Boniface’s contribution, Schick acknowledged the Nigerian striker’s resilience after a spell on the sidelines.
“Victor was injured for a long time and hit the target again straight away,” Schick said. “I know myself how difficult that is. It’s also very important for him that he scored again straight away.”
Boniface’s goal came in a week when speculation linked him with a potential move to the Saudi Pro League. Leverkusen nearly had an opportunity to widen the margin before halftime when they were awarded a penalty, but VAR overturned the decision.
In a Bundesliga first, the referee communicated the reversal directly to fans over the stadium speakers.
Despite controlling the game, Leverkusen faced a setback in the 60th minute when Grimaldo received a second yellow card for a foul on Marius Bulter, leaving the hosts with 10 men.
Hoffenheim took advantage moments later as substitute Gift Orban found the net with a close-range finish in the 62nd minute. However, the visitors failed to build on the momentum and could not stage a comeback.
Leverkusen, who have not lost a league match since August, now shift focus to their upcoming German Cup quarter-final clash against Cologne on Wednesday.
Defender Jonathan Tah acknowledged the team’s solid performance despite conceding a late goal.
“Of course we would have preferred to have won 3-0,” he said. “But, overall, it was a good game from us. Now we’re looking forward to Wednesday.”