Boniface, Tella celebrate German League victorious outing

Super Eagles duo Nathan Tella and Victor Boniface won the double with Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday evening.

Tella entered the game as a late substitute while Boniface was a non-playing substitute as Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen secured a 1-0 win over FC Kaiserslautern in the DFB Pokal final to seal the domestic double.  

Boniface has struggled to force his way back into Bayer’s starting lineup since recovering from a muscle injury with only three starts from a possible fourteen in all competitions.

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Former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka scored what proved to be the game-winning goal with seventeen minutes played. 

The Switzerland international midfielder pounced on a loose ball and unleashed a powerful shot from over 20 yards out, sending it into the top corner.

Manager Xabi Alonso wound down the clock by introducing Tella as a replacement for Jeremie Frimpong in the third minute of stoppage time.

In their debut season in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, Boniface registered 31 goal involvements in 34 all-competition appearances. 

The former Bodo/Glimt man was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season and won the Rookie of the Season award, following his Rookie of the Month wins for August, September, October, and November.

As for Tella who joined Bayer Leverkusen from Southampton, he scored six goals and provided five assists in 39 games, seventeen of which he started.

Tella and Boniface will report for international duty in the coming days ahead of Nigeria’s back-to-back World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and Benin’s Cheetahs.