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Tag: Bayer Leverkusen

  • Victor Boniface Aims for AFCON Debut as Bayer Leverkusen Faces Player Absences

    Victor Boniface Aims for AFCON Debut as Bayer Leverkusen Faces Player Absences

    By  Milcah  Tanimu

    Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface is harboring dreams of making his debut in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for Nigeria in January. However, his German club is grappling with the reality of missing several key African stars, including Boniface, during the tournament scheduled from January 13 to February 11 in Ivory Coast.

    Boniface, along with Nigerian teammate Nathan Tella, is among Leverkusen’s potential absentees for AFCON. Other impacted players include Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast), Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), and Amine Adli (Morocco).

    In the aftermath of Leverkusen’s 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, Boniface expressed his eagerness to represent Nigeria in the prestigious tournament, stating, “It is the dream of every football player from Nigeria to represent their country and win a trophy for the country. So, we’re looking forward to the next AFCON.”

    Despite the players’ enthusiasm, Leverkusen’s management is concerned about the timing of the competition. CEO Fernando Carro is reportedly considering legal action to prevent the players from participating in AFCON. Leverkusen’s sporting director, Simon Rolfes, acknowledged the challenges posed by the tournament’s timing but emphasized the club’s pride in having many national team players.

    Rolfes stated, “We have to deal with this. We have a really good squad, and I think we can handle this situation, but it is not ideal. But in life, there are some situations where you have to deal with this, and we will do.”

    Nigeria’s provisional squad for AFCON is expected to be submitted to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on December 14, with the final squad list to be released shortly before the tournament’s commencement. The potential absence of key players poses a significant challenge for Leverkusen as they aim for success in domestic and international competitions.

  • Boniface Nets Second Brace as Leverkusen Tops Bundesliga

    Boniface Nets Second Brace as Leverkusen Tops Bundesliga

    By Daniel Edu

    Victor Boniface showcased his goal-scoring prowess by netting a second Bundesliga brace for Bayer Leverkusen as they continued their flawless start to the season, temporarily securing the top spot with a commanding 5-1 victory over Darmstadt at the BayArena on Saturday.

    Since joining Leverkusen this summer, Boniface has notched up an impressive five goals in just four appearances across all competitions. In the Bundesliga alone, he has bagged four goals in three matches, with all of them coming in his last two outings.

    The Super Eagles call-up hopeful opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a spectacular individual effort and completed his brace in the 61st minute, giving Bayer 04 a commanding 3-1 lead. In addition to his scoring prowess, he also contributed with an assist for his team’s fourth goal in the 67th minute.

    Nathan Tella, another Nigerian talent, made an appearance in the 72nd minute, coming on for Jeremie Frimpong. The former Southampton winger had one shot on target during his time on the field.

    In the English Premier League, Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina played crucial roles in Nottingham Forest’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Summer signing Anthony Elanga, who scored the winning goal in the 48th minute, benefited from Awoniyi’s pass.

    Aina made a timely block in the first half to deny Raheem Sterling a chance to score. He played for 73 minutes before being replaced by Nuno Tavares.

    At the Gtech Community Stadium, Frank Onyeka made his second substitute appearance of the season for Brentford, who secured a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth with Bryan Mbeumo’s stoppage-time equalizer. This appearance marked Onyeka’s 50th game for the club, as he came on for Vitaly Janelt in the 71st minute.

    In Italy, Isaac Success and Festy Ebosele, an Irish player of Nigerian descent, came on as substitutes for Udinese in their goalless draw against Frosinone. They entered the match after the one-hour mark, while Maduka Okoye remained an unused substitute.

    Unfortunately, Victor Osimhen couldn’t shine for Napoli, as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Lazio.

    In Spain, Umar Sadiq replaced Mikel Oyarzabal in the 79th minute as Real Sociedad secured a thrilling 5-3 victory over Granada. This win marked Real Sociedad’s first of the season and extended their unbeaten home record to 12 games. Sadiq made his third substitute appearance of the season in this match.