Ten Hag’s Poor Debut at Leverkusen – Crushed by Flamengo Junior Team

In yesterday’s friendly match against Flamengo’s junior team, Erik ten Hag experienced a disappointing debut with Bayer Leverkusen — his team suffered a heavy 1-5 defeat.

Problems began when the starting goalkeeper had to be substituted in the 36th minute, and his replacement Niklas Lomb conceded twice before halftime — through goals from Matheus Goncalves and Pedro Leao. The situation worsened when Gusttavo Sousa added Flamengo’s fifth goal in the 50th minute.

Facing a critical situation, Ten Hag took an unusual step by making 10 simultaneous substitutions in the 60th minute — bringing on key players like Granit Xhaka, Patrik Schick, and Alejandro Grimaldo. Leverkusen only managed to score a consolation goal through young player Montrell Culbreath in the 71st minute.

This defeat marks a difficult start for Ten Hag who was appointed to replace Xabi Alonso — the coach who led Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title last season.