Club Friendlies: Newcastle United 1–2 Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen took all three points in a 2-1 win over Newcastle United in a club friendly on Friday. The German side scored first through M. Thiaw after 44 minutes, but Newcastle equalised when I. Maza netted in the opening minute — a timing quirk that suggests the data source recorded events out of sequence. Leverkusen then turned it around with V. Boniface's goal in the 82nd minute to close out the match.
The opening goal came early, though the 1-minute attribution for Maza's strike doesn't align with the game's flow. Thiaw's 44th-minute effort gave Leverkusen the lead before half-time, and by then the visitors had already shown a sharper edge in attack. Boniface's late finish proved decisive, ending a barren spell for the home side at this particular moment in the match.
Substitutions began in the 46th minute with three changes for one side, while the other made their first alteration at the hour mark. M. Tillman, E. Fernandez and M. Gutierrez all came on together at 70 minutes, suggesting a tactical shift. Newcastle brought on M. Miley at 80 minutes, followed by I. Maza and A. Moreira at 81, while Leverkusen added N. Woltemade at 86.
And here's the thing about the numbers — Leverkusen controlled 58 per cent of possession despite Newcastle registering more attacks at 81 compared to 72. The visitors had five shots on target with a 33 per cent accuracy rate, while Newcastle managed four attempts at 50 per cent. It was a case of chances going begging for the hosts, with three shots off target and only one blocked.
To be fair, Newcastle's recent form showed some inconsistency. They had lost 3-1 to Everton on August 12th and dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Gateshead, though they'd won 2-1 against Valencia on August 8th. Leverkusen, meanwhile, had taken three wins from their last five friendlies, including a 4-0 victory over Genk — but they'd also suffered a 1-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest on the same date as Newcastle's loss.
By then, the result meant Leverkusen held their momentum going forward, while Newcastle had to look at what went wrong against a side that never got going until the final third. One yellow card for the visitors and none for the hosts kept the match clean, and with the scoreline set, both sides can move on to the next fixture.