Victor Boniface scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory for Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen against Wolfsburg on Sunday, providing the perfect boost ahead of their upcoming clash with Bayern Munich.

In a back-and-forth contest, the score was locked at 3-3 from the 48th minute. Wolfsburg’s hopes took a hit when Yannick Gerhardt was sent off late in the match for a foul on Jeremie Frimpong. Boniface, who entered the game with 22 minutes left, seized the opportunity by collecting a pass, pivoting, and firing the decisive goal, earning Leverkusen another late win.


Despite the victory, Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka was critical of the team's performance. "This was a giant wake-up call—none of us can be happy with how we played today. We can't continue with performances like this, especially with such naive defending. Yes, we scored four, but we can't rely on that every weekend," Xhaka said.

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Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso made several changes to the squad that thrashed Feyenoord 4-0 in the Champions League on Thursday, including giving Nordi Mukiele his debut. However, Mukiele, on loan from PSG, had a rough start, accidentally scoring an own goal in the fifth minute.


Florian Wirtz, who had scored twice in the midweek Champions League fixture, quickly leveled the score with a stunning long-range strike. Jonathan Tah then headed Leverkusen into the lead from a corner after 32 minutes, but Wolfsburg responded through Sebastiaan Bornauw, who outjumped Mukiele to equalize.

Wolfsburg took the lead again with Mattias Svanberg's strike on the counterattack, but Leverkusen equalized once more through Piero Hincapie in the 48th minute. Leverkusen, who dropped only 12 points last season while remaining undefeated on their way to their first Bundesliga title, appeared headed for a second setback after losing to RB Leipzig in their previous home match.

However, Boniface's late heroics ensured Leverkusen stayed three points behind league leaders Bayern Munich ahead of their crucial match next week in Munich.