Leverkusen's poor start under Ten Hag

On the night of August 23, Leverkusen lost 1-2 to Hoffenheim in the opening match of Bundesliga 2025/26.

Ten Hag had an unsuccessful debut in Germany.

In the first round of the Bundesliga, Leverkusen had home advantage and only had to host Hoffenheim, a team they had won all 5 of their most recent matches. However, coach Erik ten Hag could not help the BayArena team maintain their winning streak.

Leverkusen started brightly, with Tim Lemperle hitting the post from distance, before new signing Jarell Quansah opened the scoring with a fine header from Alex Grimaldo's assist in the sixth minute. However, Hoffenheim quickly responded. Just minutes later, Fisnik Asllani equalised with a decisive cross-angle shot from a combination with Bazoumana Toure, giving the visitors confidence.

Ten Hag's side continued to press and had another clear chance when Koki Machida almost scored an own goal, forcing Oliver Baumann into a save. The Hoffenheim goalkeeper also made an excellent save from Piero Hincapie's close-range shot, helping Christian Ilzer's side withstand the pressure of the first half.

Despite losing Machida and Wouter Burger to injury, Hoffenheim still exploded. Lemperle's stunning long-range strike in the 52nd minute brought the club's first goal since joining from Cologne and put the visitors ahead. Leverkusen focused their attacks for the remainder of the match but could not penetrate Hoffenheim's resilient defense.

The defeat extended Ten Hag's side's four-match winless streak in the Bundesliga. The lacklustre performance against the underdogs has left fans doubting Leverkusen's ability to challenge for the title this season.

Source: https://znews.vn/leverkusen-khoi-dau-te-hai-duoi-thoi-ten-hag-post1579398.html