Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface scored the second goal for Bayer Leverkusen in their hard-fought 3-1 win over Bochum at Bay Arena on Friday, Soccernet.ng reports.
After a disappointing international break that saw him get just nine minutes of action as Nigeria picked four points from their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, Boniface returned to action with Bundesliga champions Die Werkself.
Coach Xabi Alonso made a weird decision, pairing him with Czech striker Patrik Schick in attack.
As expected, Bayer Leverkusen dominated the early exchanges and got in front in the 20th minute, courtesy of a goal from Aleix Garcia. But that goal did not last long, as Felix Passlack equalized for Bochum in the 26th minute.
After they scored, the visitors opted to sit deep and wait for opportunities to catch Leverkusen on the counter. Their play stuffed Bayer Leverkusen's attack, limiting Boniface to just one attempt.
However, the game changed in the second half. Die Werkself started te half with more intensity and it took them just 15 minutes into the half to get the lead. Boniface rose to the occasion and bailed his team out.
The Nigerian striker pounced on a square ball from Jeremie Frimpong following a corner and just used his laps to guide the ball into the net from close range to make it 2-1.
Amin Adli was introduced into the game in the 71st minute, and he added the third for Bayer Leverkusen in the 87th minute to ensure that it ended 3-1 at Bay Arena.
