The second legs of the Europa League quarterfinals were played on Thursday, and some Nigerian players were in action for their teams. Four Super Eagles players were in action for their clubs, and while three qualified, one was set packing in a dramatic encounter.
Nigerian forward Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella featured for Bayer Leverkusen in their 1-1 draw against West Ham. In the first leg that took place at Bay Arena last week, Boniface scored for Die Werkself to help them to a 2-0, so they just needed to avoid a loss to qualify for the semi-final.
After starting Boniface in their Europa League win on Sunday, coach Xabi Alonso started Boniface from the bench. However, Nathan Tella was in the starting XI.
West Ham dominated the first half, and got the lead pretty early through Michail Antonio. The first half was really open, with West Ham getting multiple chances to score, but they did not take them. Eventually, Boniface was introduced at half time. That change affected Bayer Leverkusen positively, and they eventually drew level through Jeremie Frimpong in the 89 th minute.
More to follow….
