Nigerian striker Victor Boniface sealed a thrilling comeback as defending champions Bayer Leverkusen overturned a two-goal deficit to edge past second-division Cologne 3-2 in extra time in the German Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Cologne looked poised for a stunning upset in the western German derby after Damian Downs capitalized on defensive errors to break the deadlock late in the first half.
Downs then turned provider, setting up Linton Maina to double the lead in the 54th minute.
However, Leverkusen fought back as Patrik Schick pulled one back in the 61st minute, expertly assisted by former Cologne academy player Florian Wirtz.
Deep into stoppage time, Schick struck again, directing a precise header into the bottom corner to force extra time.
The decisive moment came in the 98th minute when Boniface outmuscled a defender to meet Alejandro Grimaldo’s cross from the left, volleying home the winner—his 10th goal of the season. Grimaldo had earlier struck the crossbar in the first half.
Cologne thought they had equalized in the 111th minute through substitute Imad Rondic, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review confirmed he was marginally offside.
It was another dramatic escape for Leverkusen, who had made a habit of last-gasp goals in their historic unbeaten Bundesliga and Cup-winning campaign last season.
Despite executing their game plan well—absorbing Leverkusen’s pressure and hitting on the counter—Cologne ultimately fell short against the title holders, who had eliminated record Cup winners Bayern Munich in the previous round.
Boniface and Leverkusen will now shift focus to their Bundesliga clash against Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday as they aim to maintain their winning momentum.
