Rolfes Hails Boniface After Match-Winning Goal Against Newcastle

Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes has praised Nigerian striker Victor Boniface after the forward scored a stunning winning goal against Newcastle United in a pre-season encounter.

Boniface came off the bench in the closing stages and produced the decisive moment as Leverkusen secured a 2-1 victory over the Premier League side.

The Nigeria international displayed impressive composure on the edge of the box, cleverly dummying his marker before calmly placing the ball into the bottom corner.

Speaking to Bild, Rolfes expressed his delight at seeing Boniface score in front of a large crowd, describing the finish as a fantastic goal.

“He scored a fantastic goal. We’re very happy for Boni that he managed to score in front of such a crowd,” Rolfes said.

The Leverkusen sporting director also highlighted Boniface’s movement and his ability to create shooting opportunities even when defenders attempt to close him down.

“When the opponent blocks like that and then makes that movement inside, that’s quality. And when the opponent doesn’t block, he blasts the ball towards goal with incredible speed.”

Rolfes further described Boniface’s ability to produce such moments again as an encouraging sign for the striker.

“The fact that he’s capable of those kinds of moves again is a positive development,” he added.

Boniface has endured a difficult period in recent campaigns due to recurring injuries, with his fitness struggles affecting his rhythm, confidence and consistency.

Although the striker has shown flashes of his quality whenever fit, his injury problems have raised questions about his long-term future at the BayArena ahead of the new campaign.

However, his latest goal will provide encouragement as he looks to regain full fitness and rediscover his best form.

Boniface will now hope to build on the performance, stay injury-free and continue producing decisive moments as he seeks to revive his fortunes with Leverkusen.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.

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