By Monsurah Olatunji
It was a thrilling Nigerian affair at the BayArena on Sunday as Bayer Leverkusen secured a 3-1 victory over Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, with both Victor Boniface and Gift Orban getting on the scoresheet.
Boniface returned strongly to action after a three-month injury layoff, marking his comeback with a well-taken goal.
The 24-year-old, sidelined amid a transfer saga to Saudi Arabia, started the match and gave the hosts the lead in the 15th minute.
He latched onto a perfect pass from Alejandro Grimaldo on the edge of the six-yard box and slotted the ball past Hoffenheim goalkeeper Luca Philipp to make it 1-0.
Four minutes later, Jeremie Frimpong doubled Leverkusen’s advantage, and Patrik Schick added a third shortly after halftime, replacing Boniface at the break.
Despite the comfortable lead, Leverkusen’s momentum was briefly halted in the 61st minute when Grimaldo was sent off following a second yellow card.
However, the hosts remained in control, and shortly after the red card, Orban, who had been substituted on, scored just a minute into his appearance, further sealing the victory.
Meanwhile, Leverkusen suffered another setback as Nathan Tella was forced off with an injury.
The win propelled defending champions Leverkusen to 45 points after 20 matches, keeping the pressure on leaders Bayern Munich, who hold a six-point advantage at the top of the table.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
