A dribble and a cool finish from Victor Boniface off the bench gave Bayer Leverkusen a winning send off to pre-season, a small but promising sign for a striker still working his way back from injury.
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Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface scored a late winner as Bayer Leverkusen closed out their pre-season campaign with a 2-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday.
Boniface was introduced alongside Nathan Tella with ten minutes remaining, and made an immediate impact, dribbling past his marker before slotting home in the 82nd minute to settle the contest.
A Statement Cameo
Leverkusen had led through Ibrahim Mazda inside the first minute, only for Newcastle to draw level via Malick Thiaw right before half time. Boniface’s introduction proved decisive, and the win took Leverkusen to six victories from seven pre-season matches, their only defeat coming against Nottingham Forest. The German side will open their competitive season against third tier Wehen Wiesbaden in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
Rebuilding After A Difficult Spell
The goal comes at a significant moment for Boniface, who has endured a stretch of injury setbacks since his standout debut season at Leverkusen, when he scored 14 goals and provided eight assists to help the club win its first ever Bundesliga title in 2023/24. A loan spell at Werder Bremen last season was disrupted by fitness problems, culminating in knee surgery that ended his campaign early and forced him to miss AFCON 2025. He has spent this pre-season fighting to reclaim a regular role at Leverkusen under new competition for places up front.
A cameo like this, coming off the bench and immediately making the difference, is exactly the kind of performance Boniface will hope builds momentum as he pushes to convince his coaching staff he deserves consistent minutes when the competitive season begins.
📌 Did You Know?
- Boniface was born in Akure, Ondo State, and began his football journey at the Real Sapphire academy before moving to Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt in 2019.
- He suffered two separate cruciate ligament tears during his time in Norway, injury history that has continued to shadow his career in Germany.
- Boniface was named Bundesliga Rookie of the Season after his debut campaign at Leverkusen, a rare honour for a player in his first Bundesliga season.
- A proposed move to AC Milan previously collapsed after a routine medical flagged concerns over his knee, underlining how significant his fitness struggles have been.
- He picked up a thigh injury on international duty with Nigeria in November 2024, one of several fitness setbacks that have disrupted both his club and country availability.
- Leverkusen’s perfect pre-season start, scoring inside the first minute against Newcastle, continues a pattern of fast starts the club has shown throughout their warm-up matches.
- Boniface has represented Nigeria since 2023 and remains a key part of the Super Eagles’ attacking plans whenever fitness allows.
