Bayer Leverkusen suffer heartbreak in six-goal thriller as Victor Boniface misses out and Nathan Tella shines

Bayer Leverkusen suffered a heartbreaking 3-3 draw against ten-man Werder Bremen in a rollercoaster Bundesliga encounter, with striker Victor Boniface missing from the matchday squad despite returning to training. 

Nathan Tella was a bright spot for Leverkusen, providing his first assist of the season, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win for Erik Ten Hag, who is still searching for his first victory as Leverkusen boss.

Leverkusen wasted no time imposing their will on the match. Bremen’s sloppy giveaway in midfield allowed Tella to pounce. 

The forward skillfully took the ball down the left flank, reached the end-line, and cut back a dangerous pass to Patrik Schick, who fired high into the net to open his Bundesliga account this season within five minutes.

Making his debut, Malik Tillman then doubled the visitors’ lead with a stunning volley. Leverkusen built up play from deep inside their half, and following a couple of fortunate deflections, Tillman controlled a cross with his shoulder and sent a precise volley into the corner.

Werder Bremen weren’t going down quietly. A penalty won by Bremen brought them back into the contest, with Romano Schmid coolly converting by lifting the ball just right of centre past the Leverkusen goalkeeper. Leverkusen entered halftime with a 2-1 lead, having started the game strongly but aware that the contest was far from over.

The second half started with Leverkusen regaining momentum. Schick showed nerves of steel, scoring a Panenka-style penalty to restore Leverkusen’s two-goal advantage at 3-1, showing his composure under pressure.

Leverkusen’s goalkeeper was almost culpable for Bremen’s resurgence after gifting the ball to Werder’s Maximilian Grüll, who ballooned the chance over the crossbar - a lucky escape for the visitors.

But the floodgates soon opened for the home side. Despite being down to ten men, Bremen launched wave after wave of attacks.

With goalkeeper Mio Backhaus joining the attack in the dying moments, a cross struck the crossbar and fell perfectly for debutant Karim Coulibaly, who volleyed home in spectacular fashion to level the game 3-3, sending the Weser Stadium into wild celebration.