Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayer Leverkusen v Eintracht Frankfurt - BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany - October 19, 2024 Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface misses a penalty REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
LEVERKUSEN, Germany (Reuters) -Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface scored a 72nd-minute winner to complete a 2-1 comeback victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday as RB Leipzig provisionally took over the lead with their 2-0 victory at Mainz 05.
Champions Leverkusen, who face Brest in the Champions League next week, missed a fifth-minute penalty through Boniface but the Nigerian made amends in the second half to lift Leverkusen to 14 points in fourth place. Frankfurt drop to fifth on 13.
Leipzig went top on 17 after easing past Mainz with Bayern Munich, also on 14, taking on VfB Stuttgart later on Saturday.
Leverkusen shot out of the blocks and came close after a minute with a strike from Granit Xhaka.
They were awarded a penalty four minutes later but Boniface's weak effort was saved by Eintracht keeper Kevin Trapp.
Eintracht scored first with their own spot kick in the 16th with the league's leading scorer Omar Marmoush, who also hit the woodwork, bagging his ninth goal.
The Egypt forward has scored in six consecutive Bundesliga matches.
Leverkusen's Robert Andrich completed a superb passing move in the 25th minute to draw the hosts level and the Germany international came close to another goal when he rattled the post with a low drive just past the hour.
But it was Boniface who scored the winner, heading in at the far post after Trapp failed to control a cross into the box.
"We showed great mentality to come back. It was important to get the three points here. I think this was a win we can build on," Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso told a press conference.
"We had enough chances to score. We held together, it was important to show that we can be strong. I am very satisfied."
The visitors squandered a golden chance to level deep in stoppage time after a mistake by Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky, who on Saturday became the first non-German goalkeeper to reach 300 Bundesliga matches.
Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah managed to clear the ball on the line with Eintracht calling for a penalty.
"For me it was a clear penalty," Eintracht coach Dino Toppmoeller said. "When it is not checked then why do we need VAR? The lads are angry and very disappointed."
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Clare Fallon)
