Newcastle United 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen: Boniface late winner sinks Magpies (full highlights)

Newcastle United rounded off their pre-season preparations with a 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen at St. James' Park, with Victor Boniface scoring a late winner in the 82nd minute to secure the victory for the German side. The visitors struck early in the 2nd minute when Ibrahim Maza headed down a corner for Christian Kofane, who tapped in from close range to give Leverkusen an early lead. Newcastle responded just before half-time through German defender Malik Tchau, who rose highest to power a header past Mark Flekken after a delivery from the flank, levelling the scores at 1-1. The second half saw Leverkusen regain control, and the winner arrived in the 82nd minute when Jeanuel Belosyan threaded a through-ball into the path of Victor Boniface, who calmly slotted past Lukas Hornicek. Boniface had a second goal ruled out for offside later on, while Kofane also struck the post in the 14th minute following a Belosyan knockdown. Despite the defeat, Newcastle showed promise in spells, with Anthony Elanga and Harvey Barnes causing problems on the flanks. Both sides now turn their attention to the start of their respective league campaigns, with Newcastle facing Brentford on August 22 and Leverkusen beginning their Bundesliga title defence against Hoffenheim on August 23. The full match highlights and all goals are available to watch, offering a glimpse of what promises to be an exciting season for both clubs.