Brilliant Boniface gets Leverkusen back to winning
Bundesliga defending champion Bayer Leverkusen cruised to a 4-1 victory at Hoffenheim thanks to a dazzling performance by Victor Boniface.
The Nigerian scored two goals and laid on an assist, ensuring Leverkusen got back to winning ways in its first game since the international break.
The visitors struck twice in the first half an hour for a 2-0 lead, with Boniface setting up Martin Terrier for a tap-in in the 17th minute before turning scorer with a clever finish, and dropping his shorts in a bizarre celebration.
Mergim Berisha, making his first appearances since a knee ligament tear last November, cut the deficit for Hoffenheim just before the break from close range.
Leverkusen restored its two-goal lead courtesy of a penalty, buried by Florian Wirtz in the 72nd minute, after Dennis Geiger fouled Alex Grimaldo in the box.
Boniface then single-handedly dismantled the Hoffenheim defence with a strong run down the left, powering a shot past keeper Oliver Baumann three minutes later to lift Leverkusen to fourth place on six points, and dropping his shorts again.
"I didn't want to provoke anyone," he explained when asked about the celebration.
"I did it in front of our fans. It’s a TikTok trend by a big influencer in Nigeria. I promised him that I would cheer so much, I just hadn't scored yet."
It came as quite a shock before the international break when Leverkusen's 35-game unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga ended, with RB Leipzig handing it a first defeat in 462 days.
But Xabi Alonso's side quickly shook that result off, and extended its impressive unbeaten run on the road – it is now unbeaten in 19 such matches (won 16 and drawn three).
It is also the first time it has won its first two away games in a Bundesliga season.
Meanwhile, Baumann made his 464th Bundesliga appearance in this match, drawing him level with Toni Schumacher and Lothar Matthaus. This was his 92nd consecutive game in the competition.
Alonso said Leverkusen passed the challenge to bounce back from defeat with flying colours after the match.
"It was an important test for us to not concede a second goal after going 2-0 up," he said.
"We reacted well and this time we controlled the game better and were more stable until the end. We know we will get our chances if we are patient and that is what we have to patiently work towards.
"We were ready today to show our highest level. We were serious and very professional.
"Hoffenheim made it difficult for us in the 10 minutes before the break but we came back after half-time to show sufficient energy."
Leverkusen, which has six points from three games, kicks off its UEFA Champions League campaign next week at Feyenoord.
