Nigerian duo Boniface and Okonkwo steal the show in impressive pre-season display

Nigerian forward Victor Boniface played a starring role for Bayer Leverkusen, scoring twice in a 7-0 demolition of Sportfreunde Baumberg in a pre-season friendly, while Arthur Okonkwo kept a clean sheet as Wrexham pulled off a 1-0 upset over Manchester United in Helsinki.

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Afonso Moreira set the tone for Leverkusen with a brace within the opening 27 minutes, before Christian Kofane added a third to give the Bundesliga side a commanding lead at the break.

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Victor Boniface then took center stage, striking twice in four minutes after the restart to complete his own brace and further extend Leverkusen's advantage.

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Robert Andrich added a sixth goal in the 56th minute, before Nathan Tella rounded off the rout in the 67th minute, capping off a resounding victory for Leverkusen.

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For Boniface, the return to Leverkusen offers an opportunity to rediscover his consistency, having spent last season on loan at Werder Bremen, where his progress was hindered by injury.

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Arthur Okonkwo's clean sheet against Manchester United followed an encouraging start to Wrexham's pre-season preparations, which included a scoreless draw with Wisla Krakow, in which he saved a second-half penalty.

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Super Eagles duo Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi featured for Nottingham Forest as they began a new era under manager Olivier Glasner, securing a 2-0 win over Notts County.

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Brazilian striker Igor Jesus opened the scoring in the 26th minute, before French forward Arnaud Kalimuendo doubled the lead nine minutes into the second half, as Forest cruised to a comfortable victory.

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Ola Aina started the match and helped Forest keep a clean sheet in the first half, before making way for Nicolas Dominguez at the interval, while Taiwo Awoniyi came off the bench after the restart.

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Taiwo Awoniyi finished last season strongly, scoring three goals and providing two assists in his final six league matches, to end the campaign with four goals and two assists in 17 Premier League appearances.

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Nathan Tella has been handed a fresh boost at Leverkusen, with new coach Carles Martinez personally reaching out to the winger during his holiday in Ibiza to assure him of an important role in his plans for the new season.

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According to Tella, the coach's vocal and communicative approach is just what the team needs, providing a clear idea of what is expected from the players, as he noted, "The coach is very vocal and provides a lot of communication, that is what we need as a team."