LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen kept pace with Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich by beating Hoffenheim 3-1 on Sunday when Victor Boniface made his long-awaited comeback.

Boniface scored with his first shot at goal since his proposed move to Saudi team Al-Nassr collapsed. The Nigeria forward started for his first game since early November after recovering from a thigh injury.

“He needs game time. He’s focused and we need him for the second half of the season. We need the whole squad,” Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said of Boniface, who played the first half before making way for Patrik Schick before the second.

Leverkusen finished with 10 players after Álex Grimaldo’s sending off with half an hour to play. New signings Emiliano Buendía and Mario Hermoso made their debuts as Alonso’s team stayed six points behind Bayern two weeks before the top two clash in Leverkusen.

Bayern defeated Holstein Kiel on Saturday.

Boniface is back as Leverkusen keeps the pressure on Bayern Munich with 3-1 win over Hoffenheim | iNFOnews.ca — Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong scores his side’s second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and TSG Hoffenheim at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Boniface scored in the 15th minute with a shot that Hoffenheim ’keeper Luca Philipp should arguably have stopped.

Jeremie Frimpong made it 2-0 four minutes later after Aleix García sent the Dutch wing back through.

Then Robin Braun became the first referee to announce a VAR call to fans in a Bundesliga game when a penalty he awarded to Nathan Tella for a foul by Hoffenheim defender David Jurasek was taken back — video replays showed the Leverkusen attacker was coming from an offside position before he was fouled.

Leverkusen’s match was among five in the 20th round trialing the NFL-style announcements, a change league officials hope will make the much-maligned VAR system more popular among fans.

“Honestly, I’m relieved that everything worked out. There were no slip-ups and hopefully it brought the benefits that were desired,” Braun told broadcaster DAZN.

Buendía, who went on for the injured Tella before the break, surged through the Hoffenheim defense only to see his shot saved by Philipp, but Schick was there to tuck away the rebound for 3-0 in the 51st. It was the Czech forward’s 14th league goal of the season.

Then Grimaldo was shown red in the 61st, when Hoffenheim substitute Gift Orban went on for the visitors. Orban pulled a goal back a minute later.

Buendía made way for Hermoso to compensate for Grimaldo’s sending off. Though tempers flared at times, Leverkusen’s 10 men contained the visitors for the rest of the game.

Leverkusen next hosts local rival Cologne in the quarterfinals of the German Cup on Wednesday.

Third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt drew with Wolfsburg 1-1 in the early game.