Nigeria duo Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella celebrated an unprecedented Bundesliga title triumph last weekend, each playing their part as Bayer Leverkusen secured the first championship in their 119-year history with a rousing 5-0 demolition of Werder Bremen.
Boniface started the season in searing form, quickly establishing himself as one of the breakout stars of the Bundesliga and helping Xabi Alonso’s side set the tone for a remarkable season. He scored consistently throughout the campaign, but was stopped in his tracks by an abductor injury in December that cost him more than three months of the season.
Boniface, 23, returned to Alonso’s starting XI for the first time since mid December; and the appeared — at times — to be on a one-man mission to ensure Bayer finally ended Bayern Munich’s hegemony atop the German game.
This was his finest performance since before his injury, and he registered back-to-back goals for the first time in four months as he opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 25 minutes having netted against West Ham United in the UEFA Europa League in midweek.
Boniface again made a decisive impact on the hour mark, settling the hosts’ nerves by setting up Granit Xhaka to prompt scenes of joyous celebration at the BayArena.
A hat trick from Florian Wirtz in the final 22 minutes capped a magnificent outing for Leverkusen, who remain unbeaten in the league after 29 matches, with the Nigerian later photographed “celebrating” by pouring a tankard of beer over head coach Alonso.
Boniface’s contribution to the 5-0 rout takes his return for the campaign to 19 direct goal contributions in 18 league outings, and it’s tantalising to imagine what he could have achieved had his progress not been halted by injury.
Previously a champion with Bodo/Glimt in Norway, the young forward looks hungry for more success in the months to come, with Leverkusen still competing on multiple fronts.
Bayer face Kaiserslautern in the German DFB Pokal final, due to be played on May 25, and are still in the running for the UEFA Europa League.
Unbeaten in 43 matches in all competitions, you wouldn’t bet against Bayer winning both tournaments albeit they must first negotiate the second leg of their Europa League quarterfinal vs. West Ham United.
“We want to say thank you for the support from the beginning of the season,” Boniface told the home fans after the match, one of several Leverkusen players to take taken the microphone to address supporters amid the jubilant celebrations.
“We still have two more finals to give you guys!”
Boniface also revealed that Nigeria teammate Victor Osimhen had predicted, in the aftermath of his own Serie A success with Napoli last season, that Leverkusen and Boniface would complete this unprecedented triumph.
“Shout out to Osimhen,” Boniface said after the match. “I remember when Napoli won the league, and he told me: ‘Next year will be your turn’. It’s happening now. Senior Man, respect.”
Tella, continuing to operate in a right wing-back role, also featured during Leverkusen’s big day, and he joined Boniface in taking the tally of Nigerian Bundesliga winners to four — the pair following in the footsteps of Pascal Ojigwe (Kaiserslautern) and Sunday Oliseh (Borussia Dortmund).
“Glory be to God,” Tella wrote on his Instagram handle. “What a team!”
Signed from Southampton at the season’s start, before making his national team debut in November, Tella is enjoying a season that no one could have foreseen — not least because he’s been recast as a wing-back by Alonso.
“It’s obviously very special,” he said, reflecting on the title triumph. “I’ve always said trophies aren’t guaranteed, [and] the fact that I’ve had an opportunity to come to this club in my first season with an incredibly talented group of players, unbelievable coaching staff, and win something first time of asking is special.
“It’s an important moment for the history of the club.”
Bayer sit 16 points clear of second-placed Bayern, whose 11-season run of domestic titles has come to a shuddering halt, with five league matches left to play.
Osimhen may have been correct in forecasting Leverkusen’s title success, but he was unable to help Napoli defeat Serie A minnows Frosinone last weekend.
He scored a ‘Superman goal’ to inspire the Partenopei to a come-from-behind triumph against Monza the previous weekend, and he was on target again at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
Osimhen restored Napoli’s lead soon after the hour-mark, following a first-half comeback from Frosinone, after fine work from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to secure victory.
Morocco international Walid Cheddira equalised for the second time in the match, 17 minutes from time, and Napoli were unable to muster another response.
The 2-2 draw leaves Napoli a whopping 34 points behind league leaders Internazionale, and even European qualification may be a bridge too far for the reigning champions.
In the English Premier League, Mohamed Salah‘s recent underwhelming form again proved costly for Liverpool as they were defeated 1-0 at home by Crystal Palace — the loss representing a significant blow to their title hopes.
Salah has been profligate since returning to action after the injury he sustained at the Africa Cup of Nations, although his struggles in the box have been masked to some degree by his flow of goals.
He took 12 shots against Brighton & Hove Albion — double what he’s registered in any other game this season — but scored only once (albeit, the goal was the matchwinner), and he was then withdrawn after making minimum impact against Sheffield United. He then scored vs. Manchester United, again, but was left to rue two fine chances missed as Liverpool dropped points.
Against Palace on Sunday, Salah was one of several key culprits as the Reds endured a crushing home defeat; Salah had a close-range effort blocked by Tyrick Mitchell in stoppage time, having earlier been denied by the outstanding Dean Henderson, while Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones and Darwin Núñez all missed gilt-edged chances to equalise.
In London, Alex Iwobi was among the star performers as Fulham won 2-0 away at West Ham, equalling a record in the process.
Iwobi’s low cross teed up Andreas Pereira for the second goal of a one-sided contest — and that represented the Nigerian’s seventh direct goal contribution of the campaign. Iwobi now has 29 Premier League assists during his time with Arsenal, Everton and Fulham, and he is equal with former Arsenal and Portsmouth superstar Nwankwo Kanu as the most productive Nigerian creator in the history of the league.
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