Victor Boniface, Nathan Tella win domestic double with DFB-Pokal triumph 

By Monsurah Olatunji 

Nigeria international duo, Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella have emerged victorious in the DFB-Pokal, completing a domestic double just 48 hours after suffering Europa League final heartbreak.

Tella entered the game as a late substitute while Boniface was an unused substitute as the Bundesliga champions secured a 1-0 win over FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday. 

Former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka scored what proved to be the game-winning goal with seventeen minutes played as Leverkusen completed the game with 10 men following Ivorian defender Odilon Kossounou’s dismissal.

The win comes as a welcome boost for Leverkusen, who were left disappointed after losing the Europa League final to Atalanta, led by their compatriot Ademola Lookman.

In their debut season in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, Boniface registered 31 goal involvements in 34 appearances across all competitions.

The Super Eagles star was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season and won the Rookie of the Season award, following his four consecutive Rookie of the Month wins for August, September, October, and November.

As for Tella who joined Bayer Leverkusen from Southampton, he scored six goals and provided five assists in 39 games, seventeen of which he started.

Tella and Boniface will report for international duty in the coming days ahead of Nigeria’s back-to-back World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and Benin’s Cheetahs.