Victor Boniface was the hero of the night as Bayer Leverkusen pulled off a dramatic 4-3 victory against VfL Wolfsburg in an action-packed Bundesliga encounter.
The Nigerian forward sealed the win with a stoppage-time strike that had the BayArena crowd in raptures.
The match got off to a stunning start when Wolfsburg took the lead in the 5th minute after an unfortunate own goal by Nordi Mukiele, who deflected a dangerous cross from Mohamed Amoura into his own net. However, Leverkusen wasted no time responding. Florian Wirtz, a standout performer, equalized just nine minutes later with a well-placed shot from outside the box, assisted by Granit Xhaka.
Leverkusen’s dominance soon paid off when Jonathan Tah rose highest from a corner in the 32nd minute to head them into a 2-1 lead. The celebrations were short-lived, though, as Wolfsburg fought back almost immediately. Sebastiaan Bornauw leveled the score with a powerful header of his own just five minutes later, leaving the game wide open again.
Right before halftime, Mattias Svanberg delivered a moment of magic for Wolfsburg. The Swedish midfielder danced past several defenders and unleashed a long-range effort that flew into the net, giving his team a 3-2 advantage heading into the break.
In the 49th minute, Piero Hincapie made an instant impact after a corner, heading home to bring Leverkusen level at 3-3. The tension grew as both teams searched for a winner, with Wolfsburg continuing to threaten on the counter.
In the final moments, the game took a decisive turn when Wolfsburg’s Yannick Gerhardt was sent off for a reckless challenge in the 88th minute. With a man advantage, Leverkusen pushed forward relentlessly. Their efforts were rewarded when Boniface, with his back to goal, turned sharply and fired a low shot into the bottom corner in the third minute of stoppage time, securing a hard-fought victory for the defending champions.