Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella remained unused substitutes as Bayer Leverkusen suffered a 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
A brace from Harry Kane and a goal from Jamal Musiala secured a comfortable first-leg victory for the Bavarians.
Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso opted for a tactical reshuffle, benching both Boniface and Patrik Schick. Instead, Moroccan forward Amine Adli led the attack in a crucial tie where Leverkusen struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Leverkusen’s night worsened in the second half when Nordi Mukiele was sent off in the 62nd minute after receiving a second yellow card.
Bayern took control early, with Kane opening the scoring in the ninth minute before Musiala doubled their advantage in the 54th minute.
Mukiele’s red card further weakened Leverkusen, and Kane sealed his brace from the penalty spot with 15 minutes remaining.
Schick was introduced in the 81st minute as one of Die Werkself’s five second-half substitutes but had little impact on the game.
Boniface’s Limited Game Time Continues
Since returning from injury in late January, Boniface has struggled to regain his spot in Alonso’s starting XI.
The Nigerian forward has not started in Leverkusen’s last four matches, making only brief substitute appearances.
Notably, he was an unused substitute in their goalless Bundesliga clash against Bayern Munich on 15 February.
Alonso has rotated his attacking options, preferring Nathan Tella, Patrik Schick, and Amine Adli in recent weeks.
Boniface’s last start came in a 0-0 draw with Wolfsburg on 8 February, and he has played just 141 minutes across seven Bundesliga games since his return.
So far this season, the 24-year-old has featured in 19 matches for Leverkusen, starting 13, scoring nine goals, and providing one assist, averaging 57 minutes per game in all competitions.
His most recent goal came in Leverkusen’s 3-2 DFB-Pokal quarter-final victory over Köln on 5 February.
With the second leg set for 13 March at the BayArena, questions remain over whether Alonso will turn to Boniface in their bid to overturn the three-goal deficit and keep their Champions League hopes alive.
