Bayer Leverkusen twice took the lead but conceded a 90th minute equaliser to draw 2-2 at Werder Bremen on Saturday despite striker Victor Boniface, back after being involved in a car crash last week, getting on the scoresheet.

Boniface, playing with a bandaged hand, flicked in a Jeremie Frimpong cutback in the 30th minute to put the champions in the driving seat.

He had missed Wednesday’s Champions League 1-1 draw at Brest after suffering minor hand and foot injuries as a passenger in a car crash on Sunday, a day after he had scored the winner in their victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

Boniface, who has now scored six league goals this season, had a chance to add another on the hour but Werder keeper Michael Zetterer pulled off a stunning save.

Instead it was Werder who scored with Marvin Duksch’s powerful header in the 74th to level. Their joy only lasted three minutes as teammate Felix Agu, under pressure, spectacularly miskicked for an own goal.

Werder, however, came back again and Romano Schmid fired in a 90th minute equaliser to snatch a point.

Leverkusen are third on 15 points, two behind second-placed Bayern Munich, in action at VfL Bochum on Sunday. RB Leipzig, 3-1 winners over Freiburg, are in top spot on 20.

-Reuters

Super Eagles and Bayer Leverkusen striker, Victor Boniface, has assured his teeming fans that all is well with him following the ghastly motor accident he was involved in on Saturday night.

Boniface scored the winning goal for Leverkusen on Saturday, in their 2-1 Bundesliga win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

He shared images of himself and his car after surviving a ghastly car crash and on his verified X platform.  ‘God is the greatest’ he wrote.  

The Nigerian star scored a goal which was his fifth for Bayer Leverkusen since the start of the Bundesliga season and it ensured that they climbed to fourth on the table.

Unfortunately, after the game, Boniface was involved in a deadly car crash. His car looked badly banged up and the bonnet was badly damaged.

From the pictures, he looks okay and doesn’t seem to have sustained any serious injuries that would keep him out of action for a long time. However, it is unlikely that he will feature in Bayer Leverkusen’s next game against Brest in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday as part of precautionary measures.

Nonetheless, Bayer Leverkusen should be fine without him as they have Czech Republic star Patrik Schick on the bench. However, they would have to be wary of Brest. The Ligue 1 club have won their first two games in the Champions League, scoring six goals against two Austrian clubs.

Boniface would likely be back in full action by next week.

Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface was involved in a car crash on Sunday, a day after the club’s 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Boniface, who scored a 72nd-minute winner in Saturday’s match, on Sunday shared pictures and video of a smashed car in since-deleted posts on Instagram, as well as what appeared to be a picture of his hand covered in blood.

A club source said Boniface was doing well after the incident.

German tabloid Bild reported that the Nigeria international was a passenger in the car en route to Frankfurt airport and suffered minor hand injuries before being taken to hospital.

In a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Boniface wrote: “God is the greatest”.

The Hessen state police website said the accident occurred on Sunday morning.

“A 28-year-old was driving a Mercedes in the middle of three lanes in the direction of Frankfurt when, according to his own account, he lost control of the vehicle due to fatigue and collided sideways with a truck that was driving in the right lane next to the Mercedes,” the report added.

Boniface’s management agency did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The 23-year-old Boniface has scored seven goals in 10 appearances for Leverkusen across all competitions this season.

German champions Leverkusen, who are fourth in the Bundesliga standings with 14 points from seven games, face French side Brest in the Champions League on Wednesday.

-Reuters