27th matchday
Leipzig (dpa) – Oliver Glasner and Domenico Tedesco discussed long after the final whistle in the belly of the Leipzig stadium, which was full again for the first time, but that didn’t really lift the mood of the RB coach.
RB Leipzig’s usury of chances in the 0-0 draw against the harmless Eintracht Frankfurt was no longer what they were used to from the Bundesliga runners-up. “The game is told quickly. We had seven really clear chances. If you make one, you win the game,” said Tedesco. In the end, only one point remained in a house that was almost full with 43,058 spectators – a setback in the fight for the Champions League.
The guests, weakened by the tough European Cup evening on Thursday, were definitely happier with the result. “We didn’t quite have the freshness, but we defended with incredible passion,” said Coach Glasner. And the Hessians had an outstanding Kevin Trapp in goal. But Glasner warned his team against putting in extra effort in view of his performance: “You don’t have to carry him through the dressing room now.”
Pyro Incident
You can celebrate him a little. Because if Leipzig’s inability, the post or the latte didn’t prevent a well-deserved deficit, it was just Trapp. Of course he didn’t want to celebrate himself. “The last games cost Körner, but we still performed very well,” said the goalkeeper.
However, it was not the Trapp parade that caused the first excitement of the game, but the behavior of the Frankfurt fans. Firecrackers and other pyrotechnics were ignited in the guest block almost as soon as the whistle kicked off, and a cloud of red and black smoke rolled onto the pitch. Referee Christian Dingert then interrupted the game for a good one and a half minutes until everyone had a clear view again.
The great excitement in the stands did not initially transfer to the pitch, where both teams unwound their tactical program in a well-organized manner. It only became dangerous from a distance or after individual mistakes. Kevin Kampl (22nd minute) captured the ball on the left side of the penalty area, crossed to ex-Frankfurter André Silva – but his header was cleared by Martin Hinteregger on the line.
Trap strong again
Leipzig continued to increase the pressure and allowed the force shot department two attempts. Mohamed Simakan’s shot from 20 meters (26th) somehow steered Trapp to the post. When Laimer tried from a similar distance, Trapp was no longer there, but in the end the crossbar saved him from falling behind. The goal came in first-half stoppage time from a counterattack, but Christopher Nkunku was ruled offside.
After the change, the excitement rose only briefly when Dani Olmo (46th) finished in the penalty area. But the shot from the Spanish international, who had been given preference in the starting XI over Emil Forsberg, was too harmless. After that, Eintracht remained hesitant offensively, but extremely well organized defensively. Leipzig had increasing problems converting their superiority into opportunities.
Forsberg brings momentum
Tedesco recognized the problem and exchanged the offensively inconspicuous playmaker Kampl for Forsberg. It paid off almost immediately. Nkunku sent Laimer (63rd), who rushed to Trapp alone – but the Frankfurter once again showed a strong reflex.
Leipzig continued to press without success, so Tedesco reacted again. In Yussuf Poulsen he attacked with a breaker and took Silva off. As in the first leg, the former Frankfurter experienced a personally disappointing day at work against his ex-club. It was almost pleasant for RB when Lucas Tuta Nkunku (78th) headed the ball into the run, but the Frenchman shot too hastily from 20 meters.