Victor Boniface: West Ham are a top team but not as important as Werder Bremen

Exclusive by Alessandro Schiavone in Leverkusen

Victor Boniface vowed that Bayer Leverkusen's focus will be on Werder Bremer and not on the return leg against the Hammers.

West Ham trail the Bundesliga champions-elect 2-0 ahead of the second 90 minutes at London Stadium.

Yet that's of secondary importance for now as Xabi Alonso's Werkself will seal the title with a win tomorrow.

But simultaneous defeats by Bayern Munich and VFB Stuttgart today would 'sentence' Leverkusen to 'Sofameister'.

And for Boniface, who piled possibly irreparable damage on West Ham after netting a brilliant header in the dying seconds, that's all that matters.

He told Capital Football: "It was a good game [against West Ham] and I am really happy I scored. I am happy with all the game because we gave everything against a top team like this.

"Right now our focus is on Sunday. We have a really important game [so] don't talk about West Ham now."

Alonso's shrewd late substitutions floored West Ham as Jonas Hofmann swept home the opener before teeing up Boniface. Both had just come on.

And the Nigerian said: "That's why we're 20-25 players.

"Whenever you're given the opportunity you just have to give 100 per cent for the team."