Newcastle United lost 2-1 against Bayer Leverkusen in their penultimate pre-season friendly ahead of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign.
Matthias Jaissle’s first home match as Newcastle head coach saw him name a strong starting line-up including summer signings Sean Steur and Lukas Hornicek. Lewis Miley also made his return from a three-month injury absence to start alongside his 17-year-old younger brother Mason Miley, who was handed his first senior start.
Newcastle trailed inside the opening minute at St James’ Park with Ibrahim Maza’s edge-of-the-box effort flying straight in past Lukas Hornicek.
Malick Thiaw then drew Newcastle level just before the half-time break with a close-range header from Anthony Elanga’s corner to make it 1-1 at the break.
Substitute Victor Boniface then showed good composure to create space and slot the ball past Lukas Hornicek to make it 2-1 to Leverkusen heading into the closing stages. That was enough to secure the win for the Bundesliga club, who claimed the Visit Malta trophy in the process.
Here are the Newcastle United player ratings from the match...
1. Lukas Hornicek - 5
Questionable for the opening goal. The second time in three friendly games he has conceded the first shot he's faced. Started an attack for Newcastle with some good distrubtion from the back but Harvey Barnes couldn't convert. | Getty Images
2. Mason Miley - 8
Showed good vision and composure to create an opening for Yoane Wissa with a dinked pass into the box. Looked comfortable on his first senior start and made a great block on the edge of the box early in the second half and continued to be strong defensively from there. Impressive. | Getty Images
3. Malick Thiaw - 7
Made an impressive last man challenge to deny Leverkusen going through on goal. Then headed Newcastle level just before the break. | AFP via Getty Images
4. Sven Botman - 6
An improved display after a poor midweek showing. Had a couple of moments on the edge but came off on the right side. | Getty Images