Victor Boniface came off the bench a netted a 93rd minute goal as Bayer Leverkusen pulled off a stunning Bundesliga comeback against VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday.
With nine points from four games, Leverkusen is in second place, two points clear of Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, who play later on Sunday.
They are tied with SC Freiburg and Eintracht Frankurt.
The champions’ performance was far from convincing even if they managed to secure the three points; midfielder Granit Xhaka criticised his team’s defence.
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The lineup that defeated Feyenoord 4-0 in the Champions League was shuffled by coach Xabi Alonso, who made five changes.
As a result, Leverkusen had a terrible start, giving up an own goal in the fourth minute to Nordi Mukiele.
After Florian Wirtz found space on the edge of the box and stroked his shot into the bottom corner nine minutes later, Leverkusen pulled ahead thanks to an unmarked Jonathan Tah header at the back post for their second goal.
The lead was fleeting, though, as Mattias Svanberg went on a driving run in Leverkusen’s half and curled the ball past goalie Lukas Hradecky just before halftime.
The visitors had levelled through a header from Sebastiaan Bornauw.
After Alsonso made two changes throughout the half, Leverkusen were more confident, and their pressure soon paid off as substitute Piero Hincapie headed in a corner in the 49th minute.
With Leverkusen keen to win, Alonso introduced strikers Boniface and Martin Terrier, and Wolfsburg rapidly crumbled under the pressure.
In the 88th minute, Yannick Gerhardt, a replacement, was sent off after clattering into Jeremie Frimpong from behind and treading on the defender’s ankle, dealing further damage to the visiting team.
The Nigerian Boniface, who began on the bench despite scoring twice in Leverkusen’s previous league game, pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area and rifled home the game-winning goal as the hosts rushed forward, sensing chaos in Wolfsburg’s lines.
Leverkusen will feel more confident after the victory heading into their tough matchup on Saturday against the league’s best team, Bayern Munich.