BONIFACE SHINES AS LEVERKUSEN COMPLETES HISTORIC SEASON
Victor Boniface was awarded the Bundesliga Rookie of the season award last week and he lived up to his billing as Bayer Leverkusen faced Augsburg at home in their final league game of the season. As Leverkusen were aiming to finish the league season unbeaten and cement their legacy in gold, Boniface wasn’t found wanting. He opened the scoring early, giving Leverkusen the lead in the 12th minute from Amine Adli’s pass. The former pounced swiftly on an howler by the opposing goalkeeper and he rolled the ball into the path of Boniface who hit it first time to give his side the lead. The lead was doubled by Robert Andrich a couple of minutes later.
Boniface was unable to add to his tally as he was substituted for Patrick Schick in the 63rd minute.
Augsburg managed to get a consolation goal but were unable to find an equaliser before the final whistle. Leverkusen became the second Bundesliga team ever to record 90+points in a season alongside their unbeaten record. The title celebrations were in order!
Boniface finished his maiden season in the German league with 14 goals and 8 assists. His numbers are even more impressive considering he spent a lengthy spell on the sidelines and he was limited to 23 league appearances. Improving on his numbers from previous seasons already, he’ll certainly get better from here. The Nigerian striker finished the season as Leverkusen’s top goalscorer and was ranked third on their assists chart in the league.
GUIRASSY WRAPS THINGS UP WITH A BRACE
There has been a lot of uncertainty about his future but this will certainly be a season to remember for the Guinean striker. In the final game of the season, star striker Serhou Guirassy was the star of the show as he helped VFB Stuttgart record a resounding four nil victory over Borussia Monchengladbach at home. The Guinean striker gave Stuttgart the lead in the 23rd minute with a well placed header from Enzo Millot’s cross.
It was a quick fire double for the attacker as he got his second eight minutes later. Karazor played a pass into the path of the striker on the edge of the box, he turned away from the defender expertly and fired the ball into the net with some help from the upright. He should have grabbed his hattrick just before the break but his shot cannoned off the crossbar.
Goalscorer turned provider in the 75th minute, flicking the ball into the path of Jeong Woo-yeong and the South Korean put the hosts three nil up. There was certainly no coming back at that point for Monchengladbach.
The striker was replaced in the 85th minute & it was a great day at the office for him. Substitute Silas would score the final goal in the tie with a sensational solo goal, capping a memorable closing day fixture for Stuttgart. Guirassy finished the league season with 28 goals and 2 assists breaking the record for most goals scored by a Stuttgart player in a Bundesliga season. He finished 2nd on the goal rankings to Bayern Hitman Harry Kane & his goals were very vital to the German side. Earlier in the season, he became the first player in Bundesliga history to score 13 goals within the first seven games of the season. It has been a fairytale season for him and Stuttgart as the club finished as runners up to champions Leverkusen, their highest league finish since 2007.
ONUACHU’S GOAL THE DIFFERENCE
Trabzonspor took on Istanbul Başakşehir away from home. In a battle between third place and fourth place, a win would have taken the home side level on points with the visitors, but the visitors secured victory & ultimately moved six points clear on the table.
The visitors saw plenty of the ball and should have taken the lead on multiple occasions in the first half but they spurned a lot of chances. Their persistence produced a reward eventually as a nice passage of play found Thomas Meunier in acres of space in the 18 yard box. His cross was met by Paul Onauchu who guided the ball into the back of the net with a towering header in the 2nd minute of additional time. Trabzonspor went into the break with a well deserved lead. Onuachu had the ball in the back of the net after the restart with another header but it was ruled out as he had strayed slightly offside before coming into contact with the ball.
The home side pressed for a goal but were unlucky to not find the back of the net. Onuachu’s lone goal would prove to be the difference between both sides at the final whistle. The Nigerian striker got the job done once again.
WISSA IMPRESSES IN BRENTFORD’S LOSS
Fresh off his heroics in their last fixture against Bournemouth, Yoane Wissa was duly rewarded with a place in the starting lineup. Brentford nearly had a perfect start but Ivan Toney’s early goal was ruled out for an offside in the build up to the goal. Newcastle found the breakthrough a couple of minutes later, a real heartbreak for the home side. Newcastle similarly had a goal ruled out for offside five minutes later. The visitors were unrelenting and were three nil up before the half time whistle.
The halftime team talk seemingly motivated the home side as they pulled one back through Vitaly Janelt just three minutes into the second half. Wissa got the ball from under his feet and laid it to Vanelt who fired it emphatically into the back of the net. Wissa added a goal of his own in the 70th minute to spark hopes of a comeback. Toney flicked a header into the winger’s path but there was still a lot of work to be done. The winger wriggled away from the defenders showing skill and agility, cut inside and fired a curling effort into the back of the net from outside the box. A wonderfully taken goal. The comeback was on!
Newcastle would extinguish any hopes of a Brentford comeback some minutes later as Bruno Guimaraes restored their two goal cushion tapping home the rebound from Isak’s saved shot. Wissa brought the season to an end on a great note on a personal level even though his goal and assist wasn’t enough for the Bees to secure a point against the Magpies. Twelve goals and three assists for the 27 year old Congolese winger in thirty-four appearances this season.
LORIENT’S YOUNG AFRICAN STARS PUT ON A SHOW
It was a five star performance for relegation-threatened Lorient in their final home game of the season. They put five goals past relegated side Clermont Foot.
They opened the scoring through Captain Laurent Abergel’s thunderbolt in the 38th minute with Ponceau providing the assist. The opponent’s resistance was broken.
Mohamed Bamba doubled the lead within a space of four minutes with a beautifully struck penalty kick sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. A two nil lead going into the break. The 22 year old Ivorian has been in sensational form for Lorient since he joined the club in January from Austrian side, Wolfsberg. He has recorded eleven G/A in sixteen league appearances.
FC Lorient increased their tally further after the restart as 19 year old Badredine Bouanani latched onto Bamba’s pass to give his side another goal. The Algerian youngster’s maiden goal in the top flight as well as his first goal of the season. The delight was visible in his celebrations.
Substitute Bamba Dieng got in on the act too within seven minutes of his introduction as he reacted quickly to put the rebound into the back of the net after Gedeon Kalulu’s shot was saved. He completed his brace in the 90th minute as Bamba turned provider once again with the former tapping the latter’s header in at the far post.
The result was impressive, nonetheless they failed to make the relegation playoffs and will play in Ligue 2 next season bringing their four year stay in Ligue 1 to an end. They finished level on goal difference and points with Metz. As a result, their head to head away goals tally was used to decide their relegation status.
KUDUS’ WORLDIE NOT ENOUGH
Mohammed Kudus knows two or three things about scoring spectacular goals. His knowledge was put to the test at the Etihad and he delivered excellently.
West Ham faced Man City at the Etihad in a must win title deciding match for the home side. It was also David Moyes’ final game as West Ham’s manager. City were two nil up early in the match thanks to a brace from Phil Foden, the Premier League Player of the season. It did seem like they were well on their way to another Premier league title.
Kudus had something to say about that though. James Ward Prowse’ inswinging corner fell kindly to him in City’s 18 yard box, he flicked the ball beyond Gvardiol and went for the outrageous. Rising swiftly, he connected with the ball superbly and fired an overhead kick into the back of the net. A worldie from the wildest parts of his imagination! City’s goalie could do nothing about it. City restored their two goal lead through Rodri, brutally crushing any hopes of a West Ham comeback. West Ham would have a goal ruled out late on as Thomas Soucek was adjudged to have deflected the ball into the back of the net with his hand following a VAR review.
Kudus was West Ham’s biggest attacking threat in the match and he sealed his efforts with a goal, even though it wasn’t enough. The Ghanaian attacker has had a memorable debut campaign in the English top flight & he’ll be aiming to rewrite history in the coming seasons.
MATIP SAYS GOODBYE
The colossal center back said his goodbyes to the Liverpool faithful in front of a fully packed Anfield crowd yesterday. It was an emotional afternoon for Liverpool FC as they said their goodbyes to Jürgen Klopp & members of his coaching team, Thiago Alcantara as well as Joel Matip.
The center back arrived on a free transfer from Schalke 04 in the summer of 2016, coinciding with Klopp’s arrival at the Merseyside club. Matip was a key figure in the Liverpool backline in his debut season and he improved the much criticised defence massively. He scored his first goal for the club in October 2016 and even picked up the club’s player of the month the following month.
One of the unforgettable moments of his Liverpool career would be his assist to Divock Origi in the closing minutes of the 2019 Champions league final to all but confirm Liverpool as the European Champions.
He was an ever present figure in the Liverpool backline throughout his stay at the club. A dominant center back who excelled with the ball at his feet and had excellent aerial ability. His marauding mazy runs into the opposition half with the ball were always a beauty to behold and it helped in opening up opposition teams on numerous occasions. He formed a formidable partnership with Virgil Van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.
Unfortunately, he was plagued with numerous injuries during his time at the club. He played his last match for the club in December 2023 as he was ruled out for the rest of the season with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury. His time at Liverpool was hugely successful as he picked up all major trophies and some individual honours along the way. The Cameroon International scored a total of eleven goals for the Merseysiders across 201 appearances. He was adored by teammates and supporters alike during his 8-year stay. Goodluck for the future Joel!