Erik ten Hag experienced a dramatic unofficial debut at Bayer Leverkusen on Friday. The Dutch coach saw his team lose 5-1 in a practice match against the reserves of Flamengo.
Leverkusen was already down 2-0 in Rio de Janeiro after ten minutes due to goals from Lorran and Matheus Gonçalves. They bypassed goalkeeper Mark Flekken, who also made his unofficial debut for the German club.
Flekken was replaced in the 36th minute. Three minutes later, Gonçalves scored his second goal of the evening, and Pedro Leão made it 4-0 just before halftime.
Substitute Gusttavo increased Leverkusen’s suffering shortly after halftime with Flamengo’s fifth goal. Twenty minutes before the end, Montrell Culbreath salvaged some pride for Ten Hag’s team.
Malik Tillmann, who was recently acquired from PSV, was not present. He will join Leverkusen after the training camp in Brazil.
First coaching job for Ten Hag since dismissal at United
It was Leverkusen’s first match under Ten Hag. The Dutchman was appointed by the 2024 national champion at the end of May and signed a contract until the summer of 2027. It is the first coaching job since his dismissal at Manchester United in October.
Bayer Leverkusen is preparing for the new season in Brazil. ‘Die Werkself’ will play their first match in the Bundesliga on August 23: at home against TSG Hoffenheim.