The most recently relieved of the RB Leipzig professionals and their followers celebrated the cup semi-final. Through the 1-0 (0: 0) against VfL Wolfsburg, the Saxons maintain their chance of one season with title and gave her the urgently needed course of achievement to her coach Marco Rose.
In front of 40,478 fans, Benjamin Sesko (69th minute) released the Leipzig audience with a controversial penalty and ensured the fourth RB semi-final in the past five years. This should make the discussions about Roses future, at least to the Bundesliga duel with FSV Mainz 05 next Saturday.
Leipzig in luck
“We are overjoyed that we are in the semi -finals and continue to have the chance to go to Berlin. That gives us buoyancy,” said Leipzig sports director Marcel Schäfer at Sky. At the same time, the 40-year-old admitted that he was lucky at the decisive penalty. “We all know that the referee’s job is not easier. Today we benefited a bit from the decision,” said Schäfer.
When Sesko flanked in the penalty area and caught the arm of Kilian Fischer, which was one meter away from a meter away from him from him, referee Tobias Reichel immediately pointed to the penalty point. The video assistant confirmed the decision. Sesko started and converted safely. “I pull my hand back. You shouldn’t give a penalty,” said Pechvogel Fischer.
Wolfsburg’s sports director Sebastian Schindzielorz also struggled with the referee. “It is really bitter that such a decision is made by this important game. I think the game hadn’t deserved. But it had become a little emerged, because the referee did not get a real feeling for the game,” said Schindzielorz. Wolfsburg missed the first semi-final participation since the 2015 cup victory.
In addition to Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart, defending champion Bayer Leverkusen and third division team Arminia Bielefeld are in the preliminary round. The duels will be drawn on Sunday (6.45 p.m./ARD) in the football museum in Dortmund and held on April 1 and 2.
Leipzig and Wolfsburg have faced each other in the trophy for the seventh time since 2011. Before the kick -off, the balance sheet clearly spoke for the Saxons with four wins, but the guests had won the youngest duel in the second round in autumn 2023. In addition, VfL had only added the highest Bundesliga home defeat to the Leipzigers at the end of November.
Schäfer strengthens Rose
With just one win in the second half of the Bundesliga, Leipzig started anything but confident. Before the kick -off, sports director Schäfer tried to take the discussion about coach Rose. “We are convinced that we will reach our season goals in this constellation. We know that we don’t have a good phase,” said the 40-year-old at Sky.
Neither of the two teams seemed inhibited, the game was intensively, but also with technical refinements. The fans did not see only top -class opportunities at first. Loïs Openda (4th) shot over as well as Tiago Tomás (5th). Konstantinos Koulierakis (14th) subjugated a Leipzig counterattack in the greatest need.
Wimmer with the surprise moment
Patrick Wimmer provided the most dangerous end in the first round. Shortly before half-time, the outdoor car player who had been in the center for a few weeks tried to surprise RB keeper Maarten Vandevoordt into the short corner with a hard shot. But the replacement for regular goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi parried brilliantly.
Shortly after the change, the young Belgian would have been powerless. Mohamed Amoura (48th) won the header duel with Ridle Baku, which was only changed from Wolfsburg in January to Leipzig, but the ball clapped on the crossbar. A minute later, Andreas Skov Olsen checked Vandordt with a shot, who was able to fend off to the corner. So at the end of Leipzig.