Bundesliga
Lewandowski credits Xavi for ‘easy’ decision on Barcelona move
Polish striker Robert Lewandowski has hailed Barcelona coach Xavi as the main reason for his move to the LaLiga club, saying the former midfielder’s ideas and methods painted an “amazing future” for the Spanish team.
Lewandowski, who had 12 months remaining on his Bayern contract, moved to Barcelona in a deal worth 45 million euros ($45.84 million) and has joined the team on their U.S. pre-season tour.
The Poland international said that he “always wanted to play for a big club” in LaLiga and praised Xavi, who was roped in last season when Barca were ninth and dragged them out of a slump to eventually finish second in the standings.
“I was speaking with Xavi and from the beginning I know (what’s been on his) mind, his ideas,” Lewandowski told Barca’s media channel.
“It was easy for me to decide to come to Barcelona because I’m the guy who wants to play, who wants to win, and I think that with Xavi it’s very possible.
“He knows exactly how to coach Barcelona because he was an amazing player and now he’s also a very good coach. He has an amazing future and I want to be a part of this as well.”
Lewandowski, who won the last two FIFA Best Player of the Year awards, is the German Bundesliga’s all-time second highest scorer. He scored 348 goals for Bayern in eight seasons, winning the league title every year and the Champions League in 2020.
The 33-year-old had been forcing a move from Bayern since May and was relieved after both clubs finally came to an agreement last week.
“Finally, I’m here, I’m very happy to be here with Barcelona. The last few days were very long days but in the end the deal is done,” he added.
-Reuters
Bundesliga
All is well with me, says Boniface after car crash
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.
Bundesliga
Super Eagles and Leverkusen’s Boniface involved in car crash
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
Bundesliga
Boniface strike hands Leverkusen thrilling 4-3 comeback win over Wolfsburg
Bayer Leverkusen pulled off a stunning Bundesliga comeback when they twice fought back from a goal down as Victor Boniface netted a 93rd-minute winner in a 4-3 home victory over VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Second-placed Leverkusen have nine points from four games, level with SC Freiburg and Eintracht Frankurt and two ahead of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, who play later on Sunday.
Despite taking home the three points, it was far from a convincing performance from the champions, with midfielder Granit Xhaka criticising his side’s defending.
“This is a huge wake-up call for all of us. We can’t continue with this performance,” Xhaka told DAZN.
“We can’t defend so naively. That’s not good enough and shouldn’t happen at this level. A top team doesn’t concede two goals in nine minutes! It was all far too easy.”
Coach Xabi Alonso opted to shuffle his pack, making five changes to the team that beat Feyenoord 4-0 in the Champions League, and Leverkusen suffered a nightmare start as they conceded from a Nordi Mukiele own goal in the fourth minute.
Leverkusen levelled nine minutes later when Florian Wirtz found space on the edge of the box and swept his shot into the bottom corner, before an unmarked Jonathan Tah scored their second with a cool header at the back post.
The lead was short-lived as the visitors equalised from a Sebastiaan Bornauw header before Mattias Svanberg went on a driving run in Leverkusen’s half and curled the ball past goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky on the stroke of halftime.
Leverkusen looked more assured after Alsonso made two changes during the break and their pressure quickly told, as substitute Piero Hincapie headed home a corner in the 49th minute.
Alonso brought on attackers Boniface and Martin Terrier with Leverkusen desperately seeking a winner and Wolfsburg quickly faded under the pressure.
The visitors suffered another blow when substitute Yannick Gerhardt was shown a red card in the 88th minute after clattering into Jeremie Frimpong from behind and then stepping on the defender’s ankle.
Sensing disarray in Wolfsburg’s ranks, the hosts surged forward and Nigerian Boniface, who started on the bench despite scoring twice in Leverkusen’s last league game, pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area and rifled home the winner.
“We knew how Wolfsburg would play and what we were up against… we really wanted to turn the game around for our fans,” Boniface said.
“We managed to do that. Now, of course, we’re very happy.”
The win will fill Leverkusen with confidence ahead of their daunting clash against in-form league-leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday.
-Reuters
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