By Monsurah Olatunji
Nathan Tella delivered a brilliant performance in Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund, stepping up in the absence of injured Victor Boniface.
The Nigeria international opened the scoring for the defending champions in dramatic fashion, netting just 25 seconds into the game at Signal Iduna Park.
Tella’s sensational volley from the edge of the box set the tone for a thrilling encounter and marked his first goal of the 2024-25 Bundesliga season, ending an 11-game goal drought.
Although Boniface, who is still recovering from injury, was not on the pitch, Tella and the Leverkusen squad rose to the occasion. The Super Eagles forward’s early goal gave his team a boost as they went on to secure a crucial win.
Boniface, who has been sidelined, took to social media to celebrate Tella’s goal, posting a simple yet supportive message: “Ok, Nathan,” on his X account.
While Boniface’s absence was noticeable, the victory highlighted the depth of Leverkusen’s squad, with Tella stepping up to deliver a key performance in a crucial match.
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.
