Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella were both involved as Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 1-1 draw by St. Pauli in a Bundesliga clash on Sunday afternoon.
The result dealt a blow to Leverkusen’s faint hopes of catching Bayern Munich in the title race.
Leverkusen had also been held to a goalless draw by Union Berlin in their previous outing, and Sunday’s result means they have now dropped four crucial points in their last two matches.
They sit on 64 points, eight behind Bayern Munich, who had earlier demolished Heidenheim 4-0 on Saturday.
Patrik Schick gave Leverkusen the lead in the 32nd minute, capitalizing on a swift attacking move.
However, the visitors failed to extend their advantage and were made to pay when Carlo Boukhalfa found the equaliser for St. Pauli with just 12 minutes left to play.
Boniface started the game on the bench and was only introduced in the 89th minute, replacing his fellow Nigerian, Nathan Tella.
Tella, who featured from the start, had some decent moments but was largely kept quiet by a resilient St. Pauli defence.
The 25-year-old winger has now made 23 league appearances this season, scoring twice. Boniface, meanwhile, has registered eight goals in 19 Bundesliga outings.
Reacting after the match, manager Xabi Alonso admitted the title race is slipping away. “Mathematically it’s not over, but we know we hardly have a chance,” he said. “We were simply not good enough in the decisive moments.”
Leverkusen will now turn their attention to their next fixture against FC Augsburg, knowing they must win all their remaining matches and hope for a Bayern collapse.
With just four matchdays left, Bayern need only five more points to seal the Bundesliga title.
