Nathan Tella provided a key assist as Bayer Leverkusen claimed a 2-0 win over Augsburg at the BayArena on Saturday.
Tella’s creative spark and Frank Onyeka’s battling midfield display were among the highlights of the game, while Victor Boniface remained an unused substitute for the hosts.
Bayer Leverkusen seized control of possession from the start but had to be wary of Augsburg’s threat on the counterattack.
However, it was Leverkusen who struck first with a moment of clinical quality. Tella teed up Patrick Schick to open the scoring in the 13th minute.
He delivered a precise pass to Patrick Schick, who made no mistake from close range to fire the hosts into the lead.
Tella nearly got on the scoresheet himself shortly after. He headed home a Florian Wirtz cross, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review for offside.
Emiliano Buendía extended Leverkusen’s lead before halftime, finishing off another flowing move to leave Augsburg with a mountain to climb.
The second half saw Xabi Alonso’s side manage proceedings expertly, controlling possession and tempo.
Frank Onyeka, however, stood out for Augsburg with an industrious performance in midfield.
Onyeka won an impressive 12 duels across the 90 minutes, battling hard despite his side being second-best for much of the match.
Tella, who has contributed two goals and three assists across 24 league appearances this season, was substituted for Piero Hincapié in the 64th minute after a strong outing.
With the win, Bayer Leverkusen remain second on the Bundesliga table with 67 points, while Bayern Munich lead the way with 75 points.
As the season nears its conclusion, attention for the Nigerian internationals will soon turn to the upcoming Unity Cup, where players like Tella and Onyeka will hope to earn call-ups to the Super Eagles squad.
