Bayer Leverkusen suffered a heavy and unexpected defeat in Brazil as they were dismantled 5-1 by Flamengo U20 in a pre-season friendly. The result raised eyebrows — not just because of the scoreline, but because of the opposition: a youth team from Rio de Janeiro.

New head coach Erik ten Hag, who took charge of the Bundesliga side earlier this summer, tried to play down the significance of the loss when speaking to the media after the match — but his frustration was palpable.

"Rome wasn't built in a day," Ten Hag said. "Pre-season results don’t really matter — I don’t really give a s**t about results in pre-season. What matters is that we don’t lose players to injury."

Bayer Leverkusen are currently holding their summer training camp in Brazil, but after this humbling experience, questions are already being asked about the team’s preparedness ahead of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign.