{"id":824024,"date":"2025-02-03T10:12:06","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T16:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/03\/why-i-started-boniface-vs-hoffenheim-after-three-month-injury-layoff-xabi-alonso\/"},"modified":"2025-02-03T10:12:06","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T16:12:06","slug":"why-i-started-boniface-vs-hoffenheim-after-three-month-injury-layoff-xabi-alonso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/03\/why-i-started-boniface-vs-hoffenheim-after-three-month-injury-layoff-xabi-alonso\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I started Boniface vs Hoffenheim after three-month injury layoff \u2013 Xabi Alonso"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has explained his quick decision to start Victor Boniface in their clash against Hoffenheim in his return from injury after three months, Soccernet.ng<\/a> reports.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Boniface was thrust straight into the starting lineup against Gift Orban\u2019s new side as Leverkusen continued their push for the Bundesliga title.<\/p>\n

The Nigerian forward, who had been sidelined since November following an injury while on international duty, made his presence felt by scoring the opening goal in the 15th minute.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer<\/a>
Victor Osimhen and Boniface Victor of Nigeria during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON qualifier match between Nigeria and Benin Republic [Photo credit\/ Imago]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Boniface\u2019s goal came after a precise pass from Alejandro Grimaldo, with the Nigerian calmly firing the ball past Hoffenheim\u2019s goalkeeper Luca Philip into the bottom-right corner.<\/p>\n

Despite Leverkusen being reduced to 10 men after a red card, Boniface\u2019s performance was a crucial factor in securing all three points for the Bundesliga side.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer<\/a>
Coach Xabi Alonso gives further instructions to Victor Boniface [Photo credit\/Imago]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso explained the decision<\/a> to start Boniface as being an important moment for the player.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI always have trust. It was an important moment for him after his injury. The situation last week was a bit strange, unpleasant,\u201d Alonso said. \u201cIt was important that he felt important again, felt the love of the fans, that\u2019s important for the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Boniface\u2019s return has come at a time when he has faced some issues off the pitch, including rumours surrounding his girlfriend and a failed transfer to Al Nassr. Despite these distractions, the 24-year-old has handled the situation with professionalism.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer<\/a>
Nigeria and Bayer Leverkusen star Victor Boniface. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, under coach Eric Chelle, Boniface could be a valuable asset for Nigeria\u2019s upcoming international fixtures against Rwanda and Zimbabwe with his goal-scoring form looking to be back on track.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Soccer\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tAyomide Oguntimehin\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\t\tAyomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Editor at Soccernet.ng, with a proven track record in conducting interviews with Super Eagles stars such as William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ademola Lookman, and many others. He has also made a significant impact in breaking transfer news stories.<\/p>\n

Grounded in video editing, video journalism, social media management, and content strategy, Ayomide brings a wealth of expertise to his work.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Ayomide Oguntimehin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has explained his quick decision to start Victor Boniface in their clash against Hoffenheim in his return from injury after three months, Soccernet.ng reports.\u00a0 Boniface was thrust straight into the starting lineup against Gift Orban\u2019s new side as Leverkusen continued their push for the Bundesliga title. The Nigerian forward, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":824025,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[127834,2005,25622],"tags":[127833,9990],"class_list":{"0":"post-824024","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boniface","8":"category-soccer","9":"category-started","10":"tag-boniface","11":"tag-started"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/824024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=824024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/824024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/824025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=824024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=824024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=824024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}