Boniface returns with a goal in Leverkusen win over Hoffenheim | OneFootball

Leverkusen and Hoffenheim came off European wins in the final round of league phases of Champions League and Europa League, respectively. Both coaches made four changes to their lineups for the final game of the 20th round.

And it was the headline change that made the first impression. After his move to Al-Nassr collapsed, Victor Boniface responded with a well-taken goal to put the hosts in front in the 15th minute. It was also a first start for the Nigerian striker since mid-November as Patrik Schick dropped to the bench.

Leverkusen quickly doubled their lead when Jeremie Frimpong, who earlier shared his shock about the mega NBA trade, slotted home with an expert finish. Two minutes later, Nathan Tella won a penalty-kick before Robin Braun’s decision was nullified for an offside picked by a VAR check. In only his third Bundesliga game, Braun goes down in history books as the first referee to announce a VAR decision in the stadium.

Schick replaced Boniface at the break, and he quickly joined the scoring party with a powerful finish for his 18th goal of the season in all competitions. Before the ball bounced into the path of the Czech international, Emiliano Buendía, who replaced the injured Tella at the stroke of half-time, came close to scoring a debut goal.

Soon after, a brilliant one-two between Alejandro Grimaldo and Florian Wirtz sets Frimpong one-on-one with Luca Philipp, but his lob was weak to beat the onrushing keeper. Then, all of a sudden, Hoffenheim were presented with a lifeline when Grimaldo saw a second booking.

Just like the previous week against Frankfurt, Gift Orban scored within two minutes of entering the pitch after a goalmouth scramble. Alonso, who won this fixture thanks to shrewd substitutions last season, responded by giving Mario Hermoso his debut. Fellow new signing Buendia was the one to come off as he faced a similar fate to Karim Adeyemi’s brief appearance against Holstein Kiel.

Hoffenheim dominated proceedings after that, but they failed to pose a goal threat. The inexperienced referee was in the spotlight again when a huge melee broke out, but he decided to continue the play without issuing a red card.

With the three points, Leverkusen extended their lead over third-placed Frankfurt to seven points, while the gap with Bayern is back to six. Hoffenheim remained in 15th place, but they didn’t lose any ground with all the teams in the relegation zone also losing this weekend.