Xabi Alonso has played down Victor Boniface’s visible frustration during Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, insisting that the team’s performance and result remain the priority.
Boniface was involved in a heated exchange with his teammate Emiliano Buendía in stoppage time after both players clashed while attempting to convert a late scoring opportunity.
Boniface and Emiliano Buendía battle for the ball. (Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Leverkusen had a clear chance to add a fifth goal when a well-delivered cross into the box caught Frankfurt’s defence off guard.
Buendía reacted first, but his initial effort lacked proper connection. As he went for a second attempt, Boniface also lunged for the ball, resulting in a miscommunication that saw the opportunity wasted.
Frustrated by the squandered chance, Buendía lashed out, and Boniface quickly responded.
The situation escalated as both players exchanged words before their teammates stepped in to diffuse the tension. Despite the intensity of the moment, Alonso dismissed any concerns about the incident, insisting it was nothing unusual in football.
“I spoke with Boni,” Alonso said in his post-game press conference. “I don’t have all the details, but Boni wanted to shoot. It can happen. We don’t want to make something big out of something so small. We’re staying calm. On Monday, we’ll keep going again.”
The former Real Madrid star further emphasized that Boniface’s reaction was natural for a forward eager to score, especially in a game where he had limited opportunities.
“He wanted to score a goal. It’s not a problem. We’ll talk about it. The most important thing is the team, the performance, and the result.”
Both Boniface and Buendía had come off the bench in the Bundesliga clash, with the Nigerian striker replacing his compatriot Nathan Tella in the 77th minute.
While Boniface had little time to make a major impact, his hunger to find the back of the net was evident.
However, the Super Eagles forward was unable to end his current goal drought, which now extends back to February 5, when he last found the net in Leverkusen’s 3-2 victory over Köln in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals.
Despite his recent struggles in front of goal, Boniface remains an important figure for Leverkusen, having scored 10 goals and provided one assist in 20 appearances across all competitions this season.
With Alonso’s side continuing their strong push chasing Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title, Boniface will be eager to regain his scoring touch and help the team maintain their dominance.
His next chance to break his drought could come in Leverkusen’s upcoming fixture, where he will hope to put this minor controversy behind him and return to making headlines for the right reasons.
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