Nigerian forwards Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella were on target as Bayer Leverkusen opened their preparations for the 2026-27 season with a commanding 7-0 victory over fifth-tier side Sportfreunde Baumberg in a pre-season friendly.
The emphatic victory also marked the managerial debut of new Bayer Leverkusen head coach Carles Martínez Novell.
Played at the newly inaugurated MEGA Stadion in Baumberg, the encounter was contested over two 35-minute halves, with Leverkusen dominating from start to finish.
Summer signing Afonso Moreira opened the scoring in the 19th minute before doubling his tally eight minutes later after Christian Kofane had added Leverkusen’s second goal in the 22nd minute.
Holding a comfortable 3-0 advantage at the break, Leverkusen continued their dominance in the second half.
Boniface, who came off the bench after the interval, made an immediate impact by scoring twice in four minutes.
The Nigerian striker found the net in the 49th minute before completing his brace in the 53rd minute to put the Bundesliga side 5-0 ahead.
Captain Robert Andrich extended the lead to six with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area in the 57th minute.
Tella then rounded off the scoring in the 67th minute with a close-range finish to complete the 7-0 rout.
The outing provided an encouraging start to pre-season for the Nigerian duo as they both got on the scoresheet in Leverkusen’s opening warm-up fixture.
Bayer Leverkusen will continue their preparations for the new campaign with another pre-season friendly against Kickers Offenbach.
