Nigeria international Victor Boniface made a sensational impact after coming off the bench to secure a last-minute winner for Bayer Leverkusen against Wolfsburg at the Bay Arena on Sunday.
Xabi Alonso made significant changes to his lineup, introducing five new faces from the team that comfortably defeated Feyenoord in Champions League action last Thursday, resulting in Boniface losing his starting position to Patrick Schick.
The visitors took the lead just five minutes into the match when Leverkusen's Nordi Mukiele inadvertently redirected Mohammed Amoura's cross into his own net. The hosts equalised less than ten minutes later when Grimaldo's cross reached Xhaka.
The midfielder then cleverly set up Florian Wirtz on the edge of the box, who skillfully guided the ball into the net through a crowded penalty area. Jonathan Tah headed home a cross from Alex Grimaldo to give Alonso's side the lead in the 39th minute.
Wolfsburg's Sebastiaan Bornauw responded with a header of his own, outjumping Mukiele to equalise in the 37th minute. Just before halftime, Mattias Svanberg cut inside and curled a precise shot from 19 yards past Lukas Hradecky, putting Wolfsburg ahead for the second time in the match.
Leverkusen quickly leveled the score just four minutes into the second half, with Alex Garcia delivering a pinpoint corner that found the head of substitute Piero Hincapié.
Boniface, coming on for Schick in the 68th minute, expertly swiveled in the box to fire Palacios' shot into the net in the 93rd minute, igniting wild celebrations at the BayArena.
Boniface's efficiency: key stats highlight his game-winning contribution
In just under 30 minutes on the pitch, Boniface made an immediate impact, firing two shots on target, one of which sealed the winning goal. He also registered one shot off target and had 13 touches in total.
Boniface was sharp in his distribution, completing five out of six passes with 83% accuracy, and proved his strength in ground duels, winning both of his attempts.
Boniface has already made a significant impact in the Bundesliga this season, directly contributing to four goals—netting three and providing one assist across four matches.
His standout performance came last weekend when he scored a brace in Leverkusen's commanding 4-1 victory over Hoffenheim.