Emil Forsberg came, saw and brought victory. In his last home game for RB Leipzig, the Swede was the player of the game in Leipzig’s 3-1 (1-1) win against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Just a few minutes into the game, Forsberg – who then confirmed his departure for New York – initially scored the 2-1 (70th minute) on Saturday evening (December 16th, 2023) before setting up the preliminary decision by Mohamed Simakan (74th). In the first half, Ozan Kabak (42′) had equalized Leipzig’s lead through Lukas Klostermann (34′).
Leipzig starts dominantly
In a game that was intense from the start, the hosts initially took control in a playful manner. However, Hoffenheim moved well against the ball and hardly allowed anything towards the goal in the early stages. At first there wasn’t more than one shot from Xavi Simons (13th), which clearly missed.
But the guests became more courageous from the middle of the first half. During a counterattack, Simakan had to clear against Ihlas Bebou (24′). A little later, Andrej Kramaric (31st) tested RB goalkeeper Jens Blaswich. When Hoffenheim’s defense chief John Anthony Brooks had to be treated, Leipzig used the brief advantage to take the lead: Hoffenheim was not properly sorted when a free kick was taken. Yussuf Poulsen headed the ball across and Klostermann shot the ball into the goal from close range in his second attempt.
Hoffenheim’s Kabak scores with his head
But Hoffenheim didn’t let that bother them. Following a free kick, Kabak heaved his way into the cross in the penalty area and headed in against Blaswich, who flew out too late, to make it 1-1 before the break.
Leipzig started the second half energetically. Simons hit the post after an individual action (49′). Afterwards, the players got lost in nicks, fouls and unnecessary arguments for almost 20 minutes, so that the game got completely out of rhythm.
Emil Forsberg comes and scores
But the opponents recovered and Hoffenheim started a lively final phase with a chance from Anton Stach (68th). The Hoffenheim player forced Blaswich into a strong save with a header. But then came the big appearance of the “old Swede”. Coming on as a substitute shortly before, Forsberg became Leipzig’s man of the evening.
After nine years in Leiphzig, the 32-year-old is moving to the USA in the winter New York Red Bulls. First, Forsberg made it 2-1 after a pass from Lois Openda and a little later he played a decisive role in Simakan’s 3-1 with a shot. After the final whistle, the Leipzig team and fans celebrated Forsberg, who is leaving RB after 323 competitive games with 70 goals.
Leipzig extends its lead over Dortmund
Happy ending for Leipzig, happy ending for Forsberg. With their third Bundesliga win in a row, Leipzig is firmly in the top four with 32 points and extends its lead over fifth-placed Borussia Dortmund to nine points.
RB has to go to Werder Bremen during the week for the annual financial statements (Tuesday, December 19th, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.). Hoffenheim hosts Darmstadt 98 later in the evening (8:30 p.m.).