Agency Report –
Berlin – Victor Boniface scored on his return as 10-man Bayer Leverkusen defeated lowly Hoffenheim 3-1 on Sunday to move within six points of leaders Bayern Munich.
Nigerian forward Boniface, who had missed some three months due to injury and was the subject of recent transfer speculation, opened the scoring in the 15th minute from a left angle, with goalkeeper Luca Philipp not looking good.
Jeremie Frimpong doubled the lead four minutes later against injury-hit Hoffenheim.
Patrik Schick came on for Boniface for the second half and fired his 14th goal of the season into the top left corner in the 51st.
Alejandro Grimaldo was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 61st, and Hoffenheim were on the scoreboard two minutes later when Gift Orban poked home in a goalmouth scramble, less than a minute after coming on.
Grimaldo’s exit was also bad news for Leverkusen’s newly signed Emiliano Buendia who had had come on at half-time but then leave again for tactical reasons.
The game became scrappy and tempers flared briefly when Florian Wirtz went down after contact with Hoffenheim’s Tom Bischof but Leverkusen held on to an overall comfortable victory.
“I am very happy. It was important to follow up on the first two goaals. The goal we condeded was annoying but all in all it was a good game,” Leverkusen captain Jonathan Tah told streaming portal DAZN.
Leverkusen are six points behind Bayern, who they host in a fortnight, and seven points ahead of third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt who were held 1-1 by Wolfsburg in the other Sunday game.
In Frankfurt, substitute Can Uzun headed the equalizer in the 81st minute, after Arthur Theate’s header was earlier superbly saved by Wolfsburg goalkeeper Kamil Grabara, and Hugo Ekitike was denied by the crossbar.
Wolfsburg had taken a 50th-minute lead from an own goal by Tuta, under pressure from Wolfsburg’s Mohamed Amoura and in a big misunderstanding with goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
Frankfurt are without a victory in their last three games, having been held 2-2 at Hoffenheim last week and then lost 2-0 at Roma in the Europa League on Thursday.
“In the end it is good that we didn’t lose the game. That shows the character we have in the team. It wasn’t a good game before that. The goal we conceded was completely unnecessary. That’s why we’ll take the point, but somehow it’s a disappointment,” Trapp said, adding that he wasn’t blaming Tuta for the own goal.
The game in Leverkusen meanwhile saw the first announcement via a public address system when referee Robin Braun explained that Leverkusen’s Nathan Tella was deemed offside by video review before being fouled for a potential penalty.
The Public Announcement project is trialled in nine German stadiums from this weekend onwards.
By John Baagratuni
