African stars are not only shining on the continent but all over the world too, and one individual rose as a giant among them with his performance on the weekend.
Bayer Leverkusen's stars will be immersed in celebrations and will be walking around with puffed out chests over the coming days after they were crowned champions of Germany following their 5-0 thrashing of Werder Bremen on Sunday, a game in which Nigerian attacker Victor Boniface found himself on the scoresheet once more.
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Granit Xhaka found the back of the net on the hour mark before Florian Wirts dazzled with a second-half hat-trick, but it was the Super Eagles star who opened the scoring in the 25th minute, converting from the penalty spot to score his 11th Bundesliga goal of the season.
The 23-year-old also played a pivotal role in helping his side win the penalty. With a defender tight on his back, the striker received the ball and used his strength to hold off the pressure put on him by the opposing centre-back before turning and spreading the ball wide to compatriot Nathan Tella, who then drilled an inviting ball into the box.
The low, driven cross was aimed at Jonas Hofmann, who went down under a challenge of Julian Malatini. After consulting with the VAR, the referee decided to award the penalty that allowed Boniface to add to his 2023/24 goals tally – overall, he now has 18 goals across all competitions for Bayer this season, despite an injury setback that saw him miss 14 games for his club, as well as the 2023 Africa Cup of nations.
During his 62 minutes on the pitch, he registered two shots, took 21 touches, and covered a distance of 7.1km, using his athleticism to threaten the opposing defenders with a total of eight sprints during the match. The former Union Saint-Gilloise star also chipped in with an assist too.
In his 18 appearances thus far in the league, the attacker has registered eight assists and contributed greatly towards Leverkusen's play going forward by winning 30 aerial duels, showcasing his strength and aerial ability, and covering a distance 146.7km, making a whopping 828 intensive runs. He has also helped his side defend from the front by winning 156 tackles too!
Not only has he made a name for himself in European football by putting up great numbers, but the forward has also displayed an elite, winning mentality.
Speaking to Soccernet.ng, Boniface revealed that his side's desire to win the league was there from the beginning of the campaign and that while they have now been crowned champions of Germany, Xabi Alonso's men are also looking to dominate on the continental stage and win even more silverware.
"Like I said, it's really good, you know. From the start of the season, we knew what we wanted and we were determined. [And] if you see when we [are] leading 3-0, we still fight to score more. So, I feel proud, I feel blessed to achieve this," he said.
"Of course, we have two [more] important trophies we are aiming at. We are in the DFB-Pokal Cup final, and we are also in the [UEFA] Europa League quarter-finals. So it doesn't stop here.
"So we have to push hard. We know we won the league, it's a big achievement for us. But we also have two things [trophies] we are aiming at. So if we can have the perfect three, of course we will celebrate more."
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