September 22, (THEWILL) – Bayer Leverkusen made a strong start to their Europa League campaign by thrashing Swedish side Hacken 4-0 in their opening group stage fixture on Thursday.
Nigerian striker Victor Boniface was instrumental, bagging a goal and assisting another. The Bundesliga outfit wasted no time asserting their dominance against the overmatched opponents. They opened the scoring after just 10 minutes through midfielder Florian Wirtz, who combined neatly with Boniface in the buildup.
Winger Amine Adli doubled Leverkusen’s advantage midway through the first half to give them a comfortable 2-0 lead with former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka assisting. Boniface got on the scoresheet himself in the 67th minute, netting Leverkusen’s third following a pass from Adli. Jonas Hofmann added a late fourth to cap a supremely confident performance.
Boniface was a constant threat, attempting five shots in an accomplished display. The emphatic victory puts Leverkusen top of their group after the first round of matches in superior goal difference. Domestically, they next host Heidenheim on Sunday as they continue to attempt to maintain leadership of the new Bundesliga season. Hacken will aim to bounce back away to Kalmar in their next Swedish league fixture.
About the Author
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.
