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•Boniface, Tella near Bundesliga triumph
Nigerian duo Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella are poised to make history in their debut Bundesliga season with Bayer Leverkusen, as the club eye their first-ever league title in a record-breaking fashion against Werder Bremen on Sunday (today), PRIMANEWS Sports Extra reports.
It would mark the club’s third triumph, following victories in the UEFA Cup (now UEFA Europa League) in 1998 and the DFB-Pokal in 1994.
Boniface and Tella are set to join the exclusive list of Nigerians who have lifted the Bundesliga trophy, a feat achieved previously by only Sunday Oliseh with Borussia Dortmund during the 2001/02 season.
Leverkusen’s journey to this point has been nothing short of remarkable, given their trophy drought since 1994. Despite finishing as Bundesliga runners-up five times and enduring near misses in various competitions, they’ve revitalised under Xabi Alonso’s leadership, shedding the infamous ‘Neverkusen’ moniker.
Alonso’s side has dazzled with their attacking prowess, remaining unbeaten in 42 games and netting an impressive 118 goals. With a commanding 16-point lead atop the table, over perennial champions Bayern Munich, Leverkusen head into Sunday’s match with high hopes of clinching the title.
Reflecting on the season’s challenges, Alonso emphasised the team’s resilience and determination, acknowledging the tough battles against Union Berlin and in the UEFA Europa League against West Ham last Thursday.
“The anticipation is huge – it couldn’t be bigger,” Alonso told German TV network RTL ahead of the Bremen clash.
“We have a chance on Sunday – if we win, we’re champions. We need to step on the gas, and it would be something very special to achieve. We know that we are beatable, but we fight not to be beaten. For sure, the team has shown great character.
“In tough situations, we have been able to deal with tough moments to win football games and with a great mentality to believe that we could make it to the last minute.”
Leverkusen were dominant in the games against Union and West Ham, but they needed a 48th minute penalty from Florian Wirtz to seal all three points against the former, and late strikes from substitutes Jonas Hofmann and Boniface to secure a crucial 2-0 victory against the Englishmen in their Europa League first leg clash at home.
“It wasn’t easy, but it’s down to our football, to our ideas, and to our style to not put long balls in difficult situations, in an emergency, that we lose control,” Alonso added.
“It’s down to the players to decide what happens on the pitch, we try to help them to make the right ones.”
Boniface, Leverkusen’s top scorer with 17 goals across all competitions, remains focused on contributing to the team’s success.
He said, “We have a game on Sunday (against Werder Bremen), which is a big game for us.”
“I look forward to helping my team when called upon.”
As Leverkusen eye a potential treble with a DFB Cup final spot already secured and an ongoing Europa League campaign, they stand on the brink of etching their name in the annals of European football history thisseason.

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