Sven Botman has come in for heavy criticism in the British media after the friendly between Bristol City and Newcastle United. The centre-back received a string of very low ratings after the 4-1 defeat.
Bristol City were far too strong for Newcastle on home soil. After 25 minutes, Sam Greenwood opened the scoring with a direct free-kick.
Four minutes later, Lorent Tolaj brushed past Botman far too easily and calmly slotted the ball into the corner. Newcastle appealed for a free-kick, but the officials waved play on.
Straight after the break, Max Bird made it 3-0 to The Magpies, before the visitors pulled one back through Harvey Barnes to reduce the deficit to 3-1.
That proved nowhere near enough for Eddie Howe's side. With ten minutes left, Sam Bell drilled the ball across goal. Botman tried to clear the cross but got it wrong, sending the ball beyond Nick Pope: 4-1.
Local media did not hold back in their verdict on the centre-back's display. "A nightmare for the Dutchman. He was at fault three times already and even scored the fourth goal against himself," wrote Shields Gazette, which gave him a 2 for his performance.
The Newcastle Chronicle also tore into the former player of, among others, Ajax and sc Heerenveen. "Was brushed aside too easily for Tolaj’s goal and reacted far too slowly for Bird’s goal. To top it all off, he also smashed one into his own net: 3."
Sean Steur, by contrast, earned praise. The Chronicle gave him a 7: "He plays far more maturely than he actually is (18). The only one who deserves credit in this match."
"A couple of very fine first touches and passes in the first half. He was no longer able to make an impact in the second period, but he will have learned a lot from this match. In any case, Newcastle should not be relying on an 18-year-old who has only just joined the club," wrote Shields Gazette.