Boniface's injury time winner prevents an unpleasant Bayer draw
Reading Time: 3min | Sun. 22.09.24. | 18:35
The Nigerian striker brought all three points in a 4-3 win
In other leagues, a game between the current champion and a struggling team would probably be finished with a 2-0 or 3-0 score, as the guests would put 10 men behind the ball and defend as much as they can. Not in Bundesliga. In Germany, Wolfsburg came to Leverkusen, played bravery and forced Bayer to came from behind twice to see off the challenge and take all three points. Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapié kept the hosts motoring before the visitors were reduced to ten men. And then, in injury tome, for who knows how many times in the last year, Bayer came with an injury-time goal, this time from Victor Boniface: Leverksen – Wolfsburg 4-3. It’s long been clear that Bayer Leverkusen's recent success is no coincidence, but rather a true champion's mentality instilled by Xabi Alonso in this traditionally underdog club. The question remains whether any team in recent football history has managed to overturn results as many times during stoppage time. Once again, they pulled it off in a spectacle only the Bundesliga can offer and are now confidently looking ahead to the big derby against Bayern next weekend.
This is the third consecutive match in which Leverkusen has scored four goals, with the previous two being decided long before the final whistle. Today, Alonso understandably shuffled the lineup after the Champions League. Nordi Mukiele didn’t shine in his first start for the new club (he scored an own goal to make it 0-1), Amin Adli also underperformed, and teenager Jeanuel Belosjan didn’t impress in his Bundesliga debut. Yet, Bayer managed to pull through and remain three points behind the leaders from Munich. Once again, Alonso made the right changes, as evidenced by Piero Incapie scoring to make it 3-3 just minutes after stepping onto the field, and Viktor Boniface, also a substitute, clinching a significant victory in the 90+2 minute.
Ralf Hasenhüttl found a way to challenge the champion, identifying early mistakes and "patching" the left side where it was leaking, managing to lift his players when few expected it, especially after Leverkusen went from 0-1 to 2-1 in just about fifteen minutes. Wolfsburg equalized at 2-2 through Sebastian Bornau, while Matias Svanberg scored to make it 2-3. The psychological stability and champion's DNA of Bayer Leverkusen are evident in the fact that the away team scored their third goal in the final moments of the first half, a well-known moment that can demoralize opponents, but the hosts equalized just minutes into the first half and then continued to find a winning goal, which eventually came in injury time.
BUNDESLIGA - MATCHDAY 4
Friday
Augsburg - Mainz 2-3 (1-2)
/Schlotterbeck 25, Essende 57 - Sieb 13, Burkardt 15, 49/
Saturday
Bochum - Holstein Kiel 2-2 (2-1)
/Bero 22, Daschner 35 - Pichler 15, Machino 89/
Heidenheim - Freiburg 0-3 (0-0)
/Doan 54, Grifo 59, 65/
Union Berlin - Hoffenheim 2-1 (2-0)
/Rothe 4, Jeong 6 - Bulter 67/
Werder - Bayern 0-5 (0-2)
/Olise 23, 60, Musiala 32, Kane 57, Gnabry 65/
Eintr. Frankfurt - M'gladbach 2-0 (1-0)
/Larsson 30, Marmoush 80/
Sunday
Leverkusen - Wolfsburg 4-3 (2-3)
/Wirtz 14, Tah 32, Hincapie 49, Boniface 90+3 - Mukiele 5 og, Bornauw 37, Svanberg 45+1/
18:30: (2.40) Stuttgart (3.70) Dortmund (3.00)
20:30: (5.60) St.Pauli (3.70) RB Leipzig (1.65)
***odds are subject to change***
