The hopes of Nigerian players featuring in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals took another hit on Wednesday as Bayer Leverkusen suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in their Round of 16 first-leg clash.
In a surprising decision, Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso left both Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella on the bench for 90 minutes.
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The omission proved costly as Bayern, led by a brace from Harry Kane and a goal from Jamal Musiala, secured a commanding advantage ahead of the second leg.
Bayern break Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak
This was the fourth meeting between the two German giants this season, but for the first time under Alonso, Leverkusen tasted defeat against Bayern – and in emphatic fashion.
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Despite their dominance in domestic competitions, Leverkusen were far from their best.
Defensive lapses gifted Bayern two goals, and their attack lacked cutting edge, failing to trouble the Bavarians.
With a 3-0 cushion, Bayern are now in pole position to advance, marking their first victory over Leverkusen in seven attempts since Alonso took charge.
The win also extends Bayern’s unbeaten streak across all competitions to 10 matches.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, saw their own eight-game unbeaten run come to an end.
They now face an uphill battle to overturn the deficit at the BayArena next Tuesday.
Before then, Alonso’s men will try to regain momentum when they host Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga this weekend.
Liverpool edge PSG in Paris
Elsewhere, Liverpool secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain, thanks to a late goal from Harvey Elliott and a heroic performance from goalkeeper Alisson.
PSG dominated possession and created multiple chances, but Alisson stood firm, producing brilliant saves to deny Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Liverpool’s defence withstood relentless pressure, and just when it seemed PSG would break through, Elliott struck late to hand the Reds a crucial first-leg advantage.
Barcelona hold On with 10 men
In Lisbon, Barcelona secured a 1-0 win against Benfica, despite playing with 10 men for over an hour. Raphinha’s goal proved decisive, while goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny delivered a standout performance to deny the hosts multiple opportunities.
Young Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí, who was sent off in the first half, will be relieved as his side held firm to take a slender lead back to Spain.
Inter outclass Feyenoord
Inter Milan also put one foot in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
Goals from Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martínez gave Simone Inzaghi’s side a comfortable first-leg advantage.
Despite a bright start from Feyenoord under new coach Robin van Persie, Inter’s quality proved too much.
Thuram’s stunning volley just before halftime opened the scoring, and Martínez doubled the lead early in the second half with a well-taken finish.
Inter could have sealed an even bigger win, but Piotr Zieliński’s penalty was saved by Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther.
The Dutch side now faces an uphill battle in the return leg at the San Siro next week.
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