44
19:30
Now Simakan is rolling on the ground after Zapata accidentally rammed him to the ground. The right central defender is quickly back up and can apparently continue.
43
19:29
“La Dea” combines via Hateboer and Boga down the right side into the box, where Boga gives a flat five to Zapata, who is decisively blocked by Orban.
42
19:27
The Saxons once again keep the game equipment longer in their own ranks so as not to be defensively challenged all the time. You just have to be careful not to make any mistakes in Atalanta’s pressing.
40
19:26
Turfball ventures up the left, where Angeliño comes free to the baseline and crosses high to the far post where Silva tries to head across to Nkunku. But Demiral clears the corner, which brings nothing.
38
19:24
The current situation is of course absolutely convenient for the people of Leipzig. They have the staff to switch quickly after winning the ball and can otherwise fully concentrate on the defensive – Tedesco football at it’s best.
36
19:22
Suddenly the Bergamasci stand in their own way. Zapata finally gets a pass under control to the right of the penalty area on the baseline, in order to then bring the marble centrally to the sixteen limit. There Koopmeiners rushes up again, but his direct acceptance does not come on goal because Malinovsky is unlucky in the way.
35
19:20
Almost desperately, Koopmeiners then tries from a distance, but his attempt from 25 meters on the left flies well over the crossbar on the right.
34
19:20
The game ripples a little because Leipzig is constantly lurking, while Atalanta is looking in vain for any gaps in the RBL defense.
32
19:18
Laimer in particular has been playing very well at RBL so far. The Austrian actually wins all duels and has so far been the link between defense and offense.
30
19:17
This is brilliantly solved by Angeliño! The full-back comes under pressure along with Kampl on the right touchline in his own half, but again a high opening ball is enough to avoid the pressing and initiate his own attack. Nkunku grabs the ball down on the left and moves to the penalty area to serve Angeliño, who has run with it, again. His shot from a distance then flies well over the goal.
29
19:14
Now the Bergamasci almost make it through the center because RBL was briefly unsorted. Freuler serves the free Malinovsky in front of the pits, but his pass in the direction of Zapata does not arrive. Number eighteen could have tried it themselves, the room would have been there.
27
19:13
Zapata doesn’t help the black and blues much in this phase. The beefy striker is always surrounded by two red and white players and can hardly hold balls. Muriel could go deeper with his pace better.
25
19:11
“La Dea” is having a hard time against Leipzig’s defensive 5-4-1. Tedesco gave his charges the right instructions after things didn’t go well at the back a week ago.
23
19:09
Atalanta is now running furiously against low-lying Leipzigers. However, the black and blue have not yet found a gap in the compact block of RBLs.
20
19:07
Now the Bergamasci are challenged! Was the goal a wake-up call? RBL finally got better and better in the last ten minutes, while the home side’s pressing was not played with the last conviction.
18
19:04
Tooor for RB Leipzig, 0: 1 by Christopher Nkunku
A play from the textbook and RB leads 1:0! Atalanta puts the Leipzigers under extremely high pressure, but the RBL players break away via Gulacsi and Henrichs. The German national player plays the opening pass into the run of the starting Laimer on the right, who has a lot of space, moves halfway along the pitch to the penalty area and then lays it down to Nkunku, who runs with him, who nets the right top corner from eleven meters!
17
19:03
This could have ended badly. De Roon sends Hateboer on the right, but Gvardiol actually has to intercept the pass safely. But he hits an air hole, which allows Hateboer to get through, but then crosses too imprecisely.
15
19:01
The people of Leipzig are slowly signing up. Via Kampl, Nkunku, Silva and Olmo it goes quickly and directly through the center of the opposing half. Ultimately, however, Olmo gets stuck on the attentive Demiral. But the approach looked promising.
14
18:59
The first successful attack by Leipzig ran down the right flank via Henrichs and Laimer. The German sends the Austrian to the baseline and gets his half-high pass back in the six-yard box. However, he doesn’t catch the ball properly with the tip of his right foot, causing the ball to rush into the goal.
12
18:58
In the build-up on the right, De Roon has an eye on the offered Malinovsky, who turns and then dribbles against Kampl. He still gets past the Slovene, but then it’s over when he plays it in the direction of Zapata – Laimer radios in between.
10
18:56
The Tedesco-Elf plays the corner from the left and gets the second attempt from the corner flag after Angelino’s long-range shot is deflected again. This time Kampl hits the ball high, but Demiral and Co keep the upper hand in the box.
9
18:55
Lawn ball sport now has the ball for a longer period of time for the first time and manages to play its way forward via Simakan and Silva. The Portuguese lays it down to Henrichs, who gets the first corner with his blocked long-range shot.
8th
18:53
It’s a relatively quiet start compared to the sometimes furious scenes in Leipzig a week ago. Since the Leipzig had their problems with the attacks of the Bergamasci.
6
18:52
Zappacosta tests Gulacsi for the first time after being crossed by the free Malinovskiy on the right. The left-back hooked Henrichs on the left side of the penalty area and then took a flat shot to the near corner, but the Hungarian goalkeeper had no problem with that.
5
18:51
The recovered Zapata immediately shows his strengths in Atalanta’s attack: he is simply incredibly difficult to separate from the ball and is good at fixing passes. So RBL has to adapt to a different type of player.
4
18:50
Atalanta wants to press high, but Gulacsi has an eye on the free Olmo in the center circle, who lets the sharp, flat pass through, causing it to roll on to Silva, who then bounces off Palomino.
2
18:47
Zapata gets a high pass to the left of the RBL penalty area and then crosses high to the right in front of the box, where Malinovskiy gets the ball and hits it halfway up the box. There the marble jumps to the hand of Boga – Leipzig free kick.
1
18:45
45-year-old Spain’s Antonia Mateu Lahoz officiates this second leg to a full Atalanta house! Leipzig wears white, Bergamo classic black and blue. Here we go!
18:23
While RBL is still dancing at three weddings at the same time and is also playing for the pot in the DFB Cup, the Europa League is something of the last straw for Atalanta to save a rather moderate season. In the league, the Bergamasci will miss out on getting into the Champions League, so the Italians are now putting everything on the Europa League card. Getting into the final is supposedly easier if you survive this semi-final than on the other side of the tournament tree. Finally, in the semi-finals, the winner of the underdog duel between Braga and Rangers awaits. In front of their own audience, the blue-blacks want to crack Leipzig to keep the chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
18:07
“Il tedesco” is Italian and means “the German”. The German-Italian coach Domenico Tedesco, born in Rossano in Italy, meets the Bergamasci with his Leipzigers in Atalanta and fights for a place in the Europa League semi-finals. At the press conference before the game, this special constellation was of course also discussed and Yussuf Poulsen confirmed to the journalists present that his coach’s Italian temperament definitely came through in the speeches before the games. However, the 36-year-old soccer teacher doesn’t necessarily see it as an advantage during games against Italian teams to have a perfect command of their language. Nevertheless, it is a special encounter for him.
17:54
In the early evening at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, there will be a showdown between Atalanta and Leipzig, who gave little in the first leg a week ago. Compared to that first clinch, the somewhat weakened Bergamasci are doing more in terms of personnel than RBL. Bergamo coach Gasperini trades all three attacking forces, bringing on Zapata, Boga and Malinovskiy for Muriel, Pessina and Pašalić. Muriel, who put in a tremendous performance in the first leg and scored the 1-0 for his team, is only coming off the bench. Tedesco only changes once at Leipzig: Simakan gave a letter of recommendation in the 3-0 win against Hoffenheim last weekend and is therefore allowed to play in the defensive back three for Klostermann.
17:46
Welcome to the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals between Atalanta Bergamo and RB Leipzig! The first leg in Saxony ended 1-1, so everything is still open. Kick-off is at 6:45 p.m.!