Victor Boniface scored an extra-time winner as defending champions Bayer Leverkusen came from two goals down to defeat Cologne 3-2 in a dramatic German Cup quarter-final on Wednesday. Leverkusen, expected to comfortably beat their second-division rivals, were stunned when Damion Downs and Linton Maina scored early in the second half to give Cologne a two-goal lead.
Facing the prospect of their first cup loss since July 2022, Leverkusen mounted a fightback. Florian Wirtz provided the assist for Patrik Schick to pull one back with 30 minutes remaining. Schick then levelled the score in the seventh minute of stoppage time, sending the match into extra time.
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Boniface, playing alongside Schick for the first time this season, seized on an Alex Grimaldo cross to give Leverkusen the lead. Cologne thought they had forced a penalty shootout when Imad Rondic scored in the 113th minute, but his goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Cologne, who were relegated from the Bundesliga last season but have since topped Bundesliga 2, had earlier capitalised on Leverkusen’s defensive mistakes. Downs took advantage of a defensive lapse to score just before half-time, and then set up Maina for a second early in the second half.
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