Schick, Boniface deliver as Bayer Leverkusen survives scare against local foe Cologne in German Cup

LEVERKUSEN, Germany — Patrik Schick kept Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup and Victor Boniface sent the defending champion into the semifinals with a 3-2 victory over second-division Cologne on Wednesday.

Schick scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time to send the game to extra time, and Boniface scored the winner with a volley to Álex Grimaldo's cross in the eighth minute of extra time.

Cologne's Imad Rondić thought he'd made it 3-3 after that but his goal was ruled out after a VAR check for offside. Referee Frank Willenborg became the first to announce the decision to the stadium in a German Cup game.

The game was halted almost as soon as it started because clouds of smoke from pyrotechnics in the visiting fans' block affected visibility on the field. Players stayed warm by kicking footballs around for around 10 minutes while the smoke cleared.

Damion Downs shocked the home support by scoring against the run of play in first-half stoppage time – the 10 minutes that were added for the earlier delay — when the American youth international fired inside the left post.

Florian Wirtz went close after the break after Marvin Schwäbe saved Jeremie Frimpong's effort, then Linton Maina showed how it's done on a counterattack in the 54th when he sprinted down the right before cutting inside Nordi Mukiele and firing inside the far post.

Wirtz showed his class to control the ball on the sideline before he set up Schick to score in the 61st.

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso sent on Boniface for a midfielder with 15 minutes' normal time remaining. Schick and Boniface usually alternate, but Alonso needed both to get the goal his team needed to stay in the competition.

In the end it was Schick who kept Leverkusen in it when he headed Frimpong's cross inside the left post. Boniface did the rest.

Wirtz climbed the fence behind one of the goals to celebrate with the home fans.

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