Victor Boniface made headlines with his unusual goal celebration, where he pulled his shorts down, after scoring twice in Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-1 win over Hoffenheim on Saturday.
According to bundesliga.com, the Nigerian forward explained that the celebration was due to a TikTok trend in Nigeria, saying “I didn’t want to provoke anyone, I did it in front of our fans. It’s a TikTok trend by a big influencer in Nigeria. I promised him that I would cheer so much, I just hadn’t scored yet.”
This is not the first time Boniface has been in the spotlight for his celebrations. A few weeks ago, he was handed a match ban and fined 25,000 euros for an offensive gesture during the German Super Cup clash with Stuttgart.
Boniface will hope that this latest celebration does not land him in trouble again.
Back to form
Boniface’s goals were a welcome return to form after a disappointing blank show for the Super Eagles in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches.
The 23-year-old set up Martin Terrier for Leverkusen’s first goal and scored himself soon after, beating defender Alexander Prass and leaving him sprawled on the ground.
Leverkusen’s win will be a confidence boost ahead of their Champions League campaign, which starts next Tuesday against Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
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Meanwhile, Leverkusen’s coach, Xabi Alonso, will be relieved to see his team back to winning ways, especially after a 3-2 loss to Leipzig in their last game.
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The team’s three games in the league this season have seen a combined 15 goals scored, partly due to lapses in concentration in defence.
Leverkusen are presently occupying the fifth position on the Bundesliga standings with six points from three matches.
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