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Eric Ten Hag’s Bayer Leverkusen Suffered 5-1 Defeat Against Flamengo U-20.
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Victor Boniface was subbed off early after a poor showing.
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Ten Hag’s debut raises concerns ahead of the new season.
Nigerian striker Victor Boniface had a disappointing outing on Friday as Bayer Leverkusen suffered a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Flamengo’s U-20 team in a pre-season friendly.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the game, played on July 18, marked Dutch manager Erik ten Hag’s first test since his appointment as Leverkusen’s new head coach, replacing Xabi Alonso who recently joined Real Madrid. Ten Hag, sacked by Manchester United last October, retained Alonso’s favoured 3-4-2-1 formation in his Leverkusen debut.
The starting lineup featured familiar names including new goalkeeper Mark Flekken, Jonas Hofmann, and Boniface. But it quickly turned into a nightmare. Flamengo’s Lorran opened the scoring early before a defensive blunder saw Arthur score an own goal, putting the Brazilians 2-0 ahead.
Ten Hag’s side looked disorganized and overwhelmed, prompting the Dutchman to substitute both Flekken and Boniface before the 40th minute. By halftime, Matheus Goncalves and Pedro Leao had extended Flamengo’s lead to 4-0.
The second half offered little respite. Gusttavo added a fifth for the South American side, deepening the humiliation for the Bundesliga champions. Leverkusen’s only moment of relief came late in the game when Montrell Culbreath netted a consolation goal.
Although pre-season matches are typically used to test tactics and assess fitness, the scale and style of the defeat have raised early doubts about Ten Hag’s start. Boniface, expected to play a key role in the upcoming campaign, failed to register a shot on target before being withdrawn.
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