Bergamo (dpa) – When the sun had long since disappeared behind the hills around Bergamo, Domenico Tedesco issued new goals in the basement of the almost empty Gewiss stadium.
“Nothing has been achieved yet, but we are striving for more. Whoever is in the semifinals wants to go to the final,” said the RB Leipzig coach. The ripped off 97 minutes in the relentlessly loud football temple of Bergamo showed that his team is not only capable of the final of the Europa League, but also the first title in the club’s history.
Almost in the style of a top Italian team, Leipzig confidently defended Christopher Nkunku’s lead from the 18th minute, then shortly before the end set the decisive counterattack against the angry attacking Atalanta. It was Nkunku again, whose converted penalty to make it 2-0 was his 30th goal of the season in 43 games in all competitions. The semi-finals are against Glasgow Rangers on April 28, with the second leg in Scotland a week later.
European top team
In the opinion of Bergamo’s captain Remo Freuler, Leipzig is the favorite in the two games. “It’s good to hear that Freuler has now seen us in two games,” emphasized Tedesco. “First and foremost, it’s a compliment.” And one that Leipzig has really earned in Tedesco’s country of birth. A big chance from Bergamo was not allowed, and they were not intimidated by the deafening noise of the Curva Nord.
This maturity not only makes the Bundesliga runners-up a serious candidate for winning the Europa League. It already makes them one of the top European teams. After all, the team, which is almost identical in terms of personnel, was already in the semi-finals of the Champions League two years ago. In the five-year ranking of the UEFA they have also overtaken Borussia Dortmund and are the German number two behind Bayern. “We have more experience now because we’ve seen games like this before. It’s exactly the development we need to win games like this,” said striker Yussuf Poulsen.
In the night before Good Friday, we went back to Leipzig by charter. Tedesco has no time to lose, after all, the extremely important game in Leverkusen is on Sunday (7.30 p.m. / DAZN). If RB wins at Bayer, the Werkself will be knocked out of third place and the next big step towards the goal of qualifying for the premier class has been ticked off.
The team is in flow and has not lost 13 games in a row. Tedesco does not have to worry about taking off or being overconfident. “We don’t have the time to think about it,” said the 36-year-old. “It’s happening in quick succession and we’re always refocused.” The April marathon with eight games could be followed by the May party with two titles. After all, RB is still represented in the cup and will host Union Berlin in the semifinals next Wednesday.