Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface made a strong return to Bayer Leverkusen’s line-up on Saturday, scoring a goal in their 2-2 Bundesliga draw against Werder Bremen.
Following a car accident last weekend that ruled him out of Leverkusen’s midweek Champions League fixture at French side Brest, Boniface made an impactful comeback, starting the match despite training alone for most of the week and sporting a bandaged hand.
Boniface opened the scoring in the 30th minute, running into the box to finish off a well-placed cross from Jeremie Frimpong.
His goal showed the events from last week has been forgotten as his goal gave Leverkusen the advantage heading into half-time.
In the second half, Boniface nearly doubled his tally with a powerful strike in the 55th minute that was impressively saved by the Bremen goalkeeper.
Bremen, after a spell of domination, found their way back into the match when Marvin Ducksch equalized with a well-taken shot, but Leverkusen quickly responded as Frimpong’s cross pressured Felix Agu into scoring an own goal, restoring Leverkusen’s lead.
Bremen, however, remained relentless, eventually equalizing again through Romano Schmid to secure a hard-fought draw.
Victor Boniface in numbers against Werder Bremen
Boniface lasted 70 minutes on the pitch, making 26 touches and displaying accurate passing, completing 15 of his 17 attempts for a success rate of 76%.
His strength was evident in aerial duels, winning three out of six, although he struggled slightly in ground challenges.
Boniface also showed flashes of creativity with a successful dribble, and contributed defensively with a clearance and a tackle.
