Victor Boniface finally returned to action after a three-month injury layoff in Bayer Leverkusen's comfortable victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf in the German Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
The Nigeria international came on in the second half to have his taste of game-time since suffering an abductor injury in January.
Boniface was preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) with the Nigeria national team when the unfortunate injury cut short his season. The forward immediately returned to Leverkusen to start his rehabilitation and has been training individually in the last few weeks.
Photo by Icon Sport Leverkusen boss Xavi Alonso announced at the weekend that he would give Boniface some minutes during Wednesday's German Cup semi-final and he indeed honoured his promise by introducing the striker in the second half.
Boniface makes injury return against Dusseldorf in German Cup semis Leverkusen continued with their impressive form this season when they faced Fortuna Dusseldorf in the last four of the German Cup.
Alonso's side made light work of the 2. Bundesliga side by romping to a 4-0 victory to book their place in the final of the competition. Jeremie Frimpong opened the scoring after just seven minutes before Amine Adli doubled their lead midway through the first half.
Highly-rated German youngster Florian Wirtz added a double in the second half to wrap up an emphatic 4-0 win for Die Werkself. Boniface replaced Patrik Schick in the 65th minute and completed the final 25 minutes of the game.
This is Boniface's first minutes on the pitch since featuring in Leverkusen's 4-0 thrashing of Bochum on December 20, 2023, before linking up with the Super Eagles camp for the AFCON. The former Union SG forward missed many games for both club and country during his time on the sidelines.
Boniface return boosts Leverkusen's treble hopes The striker's return from injury also comes as a huge boost for Leverkusen, who remain firmly in the hunt for the treble. Alonso's side are Bundesliga champions-elect after opening up a 13-point gap at the top of the table with just seven matches left. Leverkusen, who remain unbeaten after 39 matches, are now in pole position to win the first league title in the club's history.
They are also in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League, where they'll face Premier League outfit West Ham United. Meanwhile, having beaten Dusseldorf, Leverkusen have also now set up a clash against FC Kaiserslautern in the final of the German Cup.
Although Schick has done a tremendous job leading the line in the absence of Boniface, the 23-year-old's return means the club has its top scorer back ahead of the crucial run of games in April and May. Alonso, though, is keen to keep his players grounded despite being in contention for the league, cup and Europa League.
"We have to take it one game at a time. That's the way we have done it until now and we will not change that," said the Spaniard, who confirmed last week he would be staying at Leverkusen despite interest from major European clubs," the Spaniard told Reuters.
"We have done a lot but have won nothing so far. We still have a lot of work to do. We have done a few things well to get here but we should not speak too early. We have to remain focused and that is the message I give my players and they know it."
Boniface is likely to make a few more substitute appearances, as he aims to build his match fitness, before returning to Leverkusen's starting line-up. The Nigeria international has 16 goals and nine assists to his name this season.