Victor Boniface marked his Europa League comeback with a decisive header, propelling Bayer Leverkusen to a 2-0 triumph over West Ham United.
The match remained evenly poised until Jonas Hofmann, coming off the bench, volleyed in the opener in the 83rd minute.
Boniface then secured the win with a stoppage-time goal, heading in from a Hofmann assist, giving Leverkusen an edge for the upcoming second leg at the London Stadium.
Notably, this was Boniface’s first game back after a four-month injury hiatus.
In another match, Atalanta delivered a stunning performance against Liverpool at Anfield, with Gianluca Scamacca scoring twice and Mario Pasalic adding a third, culminating in a resounding 3-0 victory.
Despite Mohamed Salah’s introduction at the start of the second half, Liverpool couldn’t overturn their fortunes, even having a goal disallowed for offside.
This defeat ties as Liverpool’s most significant home loss in European competitions, matching a 3-0 defeat in October 2014 and a 5-2 defeat in February 2023, both against Real Madrid, as per Opta stats.
Samuel Chukwueze, another Nigerian talent, came on as a substitute for AC Milan but couldn’t prevent a 1-0 defeat to Roma, with Gianluca Mancini scoring the decisive goal.
The Europa League also saw a close contest between Benfica and Marseille, where Angel Di Maria’s goal put Benfica ahead, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s strike kept Marseille in contention.
The second leg of these matches is eagerly anticipated in a week’s time.
