March 28, (THEWILL) – Bayer Leverkusen reduced the deficit to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to three points following a 3-1 win against Bochum at the BayArena on Friday evening. Victor Boniface and Amine Adli netted crucial second-half goals after Bochum had equalised in the first period.
Xabi Alonso deployed a two-striker formation with Boniface alongside Patrik Schick in the absence of injured Florian Wirtz. The tactical adjustment paid dividends as Leverkusen dominated early proceedings, with Aleix Garcia opening the scoring after 20 minutes with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area. Bochum responded swiftly, however, when Felix Passlack converted a rebound six minutes later after Lukas Hradecky initially saved Giorgos Masouras’s attempt.
The reigning champions regained control after the interval and restored their advantage on the hour mark when Boniface found himself unmarked at the far post, converting with his knee for his eighth Bundesliga goal this season. Leverkusen continued to press forward, with Jeremie Frimpong narrowly missing the target following a counter-attack in the 78th minute.
While an 80th minute Boniface goal was ruled out for offside, Adli settled the contest with three minutes remaining, finishing expertly from an Exequiel Palacios assist—the Argentine’s second of the match. Granit Xhaka nearly added further gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time when his shot struck both posts in what proved to be the final notable action of an entertaining encounter for the home supporters.
The result moves Leverkusen to 59 points from 27 matches, with Bayern Munich on 62 points ahead of their fixture against St Pauli on Saturday. Both title contenders have seven league matches remaining in what promises to be a tense conclusion to the 2024/2025 Bundesliga campaign.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
