Victor Boniface and Bayer Leverkusen are one win away from clinching their first-ever Bundesliga title following the club's 1-0 victory over Union Berlin on Saturday.
Xavi Alonso's side took a major step towards clinching the title when they fought their way to victory, courtesy of Florian Wirtz's penalty late in the first half.
The win saw Leverkusen take their points tally to 76, with just six matches left to the end of the season. The result was made even better after rivals Bayern Munich fell to a shock defeat at the hands of FC Heidenheim.
The Bavarians were beaten 3-2 by the newly-promoted side despite racing into a 2-0 lead in the first half. Thomas Tuchel's side had appeared to be heading for a comfortable win when Harry Kane and Leroy Sane put them ahead before the half-time break.
However, Heidenheim completely turned the game on its head in the second half, with quick-fire goals from Kevin Sessa and Tim Kleindienst drawing the hosts level before the latter added insult to injury by scoring late in the game to condemn Bayern to defeat.
Victor Boniface makes second substitute appearance after injury Having lost to Heidenheim, Bayern are now 16 points behind Leverkusen on the league table, which in turn means Alonso's side now need just one more win to be crowned champions. Boniface was once again given some game time after making his second successive substitute appearance following his three-month injury layoff.
The 23-year-old returned to action on Wednesday, when he played the final 25 minutes of the German Cup semi-final victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf. Alonso had said ahead of the game against Union Berlin that the Nigeria international was not yet ready to start and the Spaniard stuck to his words by bringing him on in the 67th minute of Saturday's game.
Photo by Icon Sport Boniface replaced Borja Iglesias, who was handed a starting role in attack, as Patrik Schick was rested ahead of Thursday's crucial Europa League quarter-final clash against West Ham United. While Boniface is not likely to start against the Hammers, he has now clocked 47 minutes of action since returning from injury as he aims to regain full match fitness.
The former Union SG forward will, however, need some time to return to his best after missing the last three months. But he still has a lot of credit in the bank due to his impressive displays in the first half of the season, which saw him score 16 goals and provide nine assists in 24 matches before an abductor injury halted his momentum.
What are Leverkusen's Bundesliga-clinching scenarios next weekend? Victor Boniface and Leverkusen could be crowned champions as early as next Saturday, April 13. Bayern Munich will square off against Koln, and should they fail to win, Leverkusen would be champions before their clash with Werder Bremen on Sunday.
Should Bayern win on Saturday, Leverkusen would still be able to clinch the Bundesliga title by beating Werder Bremen in front of their home fans at the Bay Arena.
In that case, it would be mathematically impossible for Bayern Munich to overtake Die Werkself on the table, therefore, securing them their first-ever Bundesliga crown. However, Alonso is keen on keeping his players grounded by reminding them of the club's near-misses two decades ago.
In 2002, Leverkusen were in the running for the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and UEFA Champions League but bottled all three trophies in the final weeks of the season, and the Spanish coach wants to avoid a similar story.
"We are in a very good position. But we're not talking about the title, we're talking about the next opponent," Alonso is quoted as saying by beIN Sports.
"The fans are intelligent and they can remember what happened in the past. They've got patience. We want to celebrate when we can celebrate. And now it is not the moment to celebrate, it's the moment to work and to prepare."
Victor Boniface is chasing a third league title of his career, having won the Norwegian league twice with Bodo/Glimt in 2020 and 2021.