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Leverkusen loses to Flamengo: debacle for Ten Hag in the friendly!
Bayer Leverkusen lost a friendly against Flamengo U20 in Brazil on July 18, 2025, 5-1 under coach Erik ten Hag.
Leverkusen loses to Flamengo: debacle for Ten Hag in the friendly!
Shocking start for Bayer Leverkusen: The team had to admit defeat 1:5 against the U20s of Flamengo Rio de Janeiro in the first preseason friendly. This duel took place on Friday evening as part of the training camp in Brazil, where new coach Erik ten Hag took over. The coach was allowed to call five young players into the starting line-up, thus relying on fresh faces in the team who are preparing for the coming season.
The game was anything but rosy for Leverkusen. After just two minutes, new signing Mark Flekken had to accept the first goal from Lorran. About a quarter of an hour later, Arthur scored an own goal, which increased Flamengo's lead to 2-0. Leverkusen never really got into the game. After 39 minutes, Matheus Goncalves made it 3-0 with a header, and shortly before half-time Pedro Leao made it 4-0 after the ball bounced off the post.
Recognized weaknesses and changes
Coach ten Hag, who was on the Werkself line for the first time, tried to change the situation by making substitutions. In the 30th minute he brought Flekken off the field and put Niklas Lomb in the goal. Ten changes followed in the second half, with Granit Xhaka, Exequiel Palacios and Patrick Schick among others coming into play. Gusttavo finally scored the fifth goal for Flamengo (55th minute). Leverkusen's only goal was scored by 17-year-old Montrell Culbreath in the 70th minute, a simple follow-up shot that, however, had little significance given the large deficit.
The clear defeat should serve as an impetus for Coach ten Hag. Loud Training service Test games are primarily there to give players match practice and to refine the training content. The results are less important; Rather, it is about finding out about the players' suitability for competition.
Preparation for the season
The Leverkusen team must learn the lessons from this unsuccessful start before moving on. The next test match will take place on July 27th against VfL Bochum. Before that, the players can look forward to the first competitive game in the DFB Cup, which will take place on August 15th against SG Sonnenhof Großaspach. The challenge remains to strengthen the collective while sharpening individual skills, especially after such a sobering first appearance in Brazil.