Record without success
© Imago
RB Leipzig remains unbeaten in the Bundesliga under coach Zsolt Löw and climbs onto a royal class for at least one night. The Saxons won 3: 2 (2-0) at VfL Wolfsburg and displaced Mainz 05 from fourth place, which is enough for the Champions League qualification. However, the FSV can pass RB again on Saturday with a win at TSG Hoffenheim. Wolfsburg, meanwhile, is stuck in the lower midfield.
Before 23,070 fans, Loïs Openda (11th minute) ensured a leipzig relief early. The Belgian striker met for the third time in the second half of the season and freed himself from the creative crisis. Xavi Simons (26th/49th) – also with a long -range shot each – followed twice. Kilian Fischer (58th) made the connection with his first goal in the Bundesliga, Andreas Skov Olsen (75th) shortened again. But the catch -up was too late.
Ralph Hasenhüttl against Zsolt Löw – the duel was in advance under the sign of the two former colleagues. From 2016 to 2018, Löw was an assistant coach in Leipzig under Hasenhüttl. Both started the adventure of the Bundesliga with Leipzig. Almost nine years later, the first encounter followed on mutual boss level.
Löw had to do more tricky homework. With defense chief Willi Orbán and international David Raum, two regulars in the chain of four failed at short notice due to muscular problems. The 19-year-old El Chadaille Betshiabu and veteran Lukas Klostermann therefore moved into the starting eleven.
Leipzig started directly, a shot from Benjamin Sesko (4th) Fischer blocked just in front of the line. The uncertainty was particularly noticeable on the defensive for four games, especially on the defensive, where the triple chain was very passive and hardly came into the duels.
The RB leadership also resulted from a embarrassing ball loss from Patrick Wimmer in front of the goal. The ex-Wolfsburger Ridle Baku spoke the ball away from the Austrian, Openda was there and pulled off from a good 20 meters. A shot, a goal, an emotional cheers. The hapless Openda in the past few months has been running directly to Löw and fell into the coach. Löw had previously revealed that he had particularly adopted the Belgian attacker in one -on -one interviews.
Only nine minutes later the ball was back on the net. But scorer Sesko was offside at the blocked shot by Nicolas Seiwald. Wolfsburg was able to take a deep breath and almost shorten. But Bence Dárdai (22nd) failed with his header on the post. It was the first good Wolfsburg chance. And Leipzig? Was unusually efficient. Because the second (legal) shot on the VfL goal was also in it. Arthur Vermeeren conquered the ball in midfield, putting Simons. Three Wolfsburg defenders admired how the dribbler was unexpectedate from the penalty area boundary into the far corner.
Wolfsburg continued to make it difficult to aggressively, but then had again aluminum pech. After a switching situation, Jakub Kaminski made his way to the Leipzig Gate alone, but his Schlenzer clapped the crossbar. At halftime there were whistles from VfL fans, coach Hasenhüttl is more and more criticized.
After the change, nothing changed at first. Leipzig fit the ball back and forth in front of the Wolfsburg penalty area – and Simons simply pulled off and scored again. If something went, then from a distance. Fischer, who hit his left foot from 20 meters and revived VfL with his left foot. There was even more hope after the goal from Winter-Neu access Skov Olsen. But in the end Leipzig trembled to victory, especially because goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi got a strong evening and prevented the equalization with some brilliant parades.
