Bayer Leverkusen continued their impressive start to the Champions League with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over AC Milan on Tuesday. Victor Boniface’s clinical finish early in the second half was enough to secure the three points for Xabi Alonso’s side at the BayArena.
Leverkusen, who reached the Europa League final last season, have carried their form into Europe’s elite competition, winning their opening two group-stage matches without conceding a goal.
The decisive moment came in the 51st minute when Boniface pounced on a rebound after Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan could only parry Jeremie Frimpong’s low shot. The Nigerian forward smashed home from close range, giving Leverkusen the lead they deserved after a dominant first half.
Boniface had earlier thought he had opened the scoring in the 21st minute, but his effort was ruled out by VAR for offside. Undeterred, the German side kept pressing, with Florian Wirtz pulling the strings in midfield and causing constant problems for Milan’s defence.
Maignan’s sharp reflexes kept the visitors in the game, but Leverkusen’s relentless attacking pressure finally broke through after the interval. Milan responded with a flurry of chances, including two long-range efforts from Youssouf Fofana and a deflected shot from Theo Hernandez that clipped the crossbar.
Despite late pressure from the Rossoneri, including a close-range header from Alvaro Morata that went just wide, Leverkusen held firm, with Lukas Hradecky making several key saves to preserve the clean sheet. Nathan Tella nearly doubled the lead for the hosts in stoppage time, but his shot narrowly missed the target.
AC Milan, who lost their opening group match 3-1 to Liverpool, remain winless in the competition and will need to regroup quickly to keep their qualification hopes alive.
