Estêvão scores on Chelsea’s debut as the Blues beat Leverkusen 2-0 in a pre-season friendly
Brazilian teenager Estêvão marked his Chelsea debut with a goal as the Blues defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 in a pre-season friendly on Friday. The match, played at 3 p.m. Brasília time, was Chelsea’s first outing since winning the Club World Cup in July.
The 18-year-old forward, signed from Palmeiras, was named in manager Enzo Maresca’s starting lineup and made an immediate impact, scoring once and being directly involved in half of Chelsea’s 20 shots on goal.
Chelsea Line-Up and Match Details
Maresca fielded Jorgensen, Gusto, Acheampong, Chalobah, Cucurella, Caicedo, Andrey Santos, Estêvão, Palmer, George, and Delap.
Leverkusen started with Flekken, Hincapié, Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba, Schick, Grimaldo, Adli, Tella, Garcia, and Maza.
Estêvão played 75 minutes, taking seven shots and creating three big chances before being substituted. From the bench, he celebrated fellow Brazilian João Pedro’s strike, which sealed the victory.
Background and Build-Up
Estêvão’s arrival was highly anticipated, especially after Chelsea’s social media announcement interpreted by some fans as a dig at Palmeiras, who the Blues eliminated in a previous Club World Cup meeting.
The young winger is the only Brazilian among the nominees for the 2025 Kopa Ballon d’Or, and Maresca has urged patience while praising his versatility and attacking instinct.
A good runout for the boys! 👏@VisitMalta pic.twitter.com/L8qL0gLSd1
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 8, 2025
What’s Next
Chelsea next face Milan on August 10 at 11 a.m. Brasília time in another pre-season test.
Bayer Leverkusen, who had won all three of their previous summer matches — against VfL Bochum (2-0), Fortuna Sittard (2-1), and Pisa (3-0) — will look to bounce back in their next outing.
