Bergamo came up with very little against the tight defense and the attentive midfield center of Leipzig. Two long-range shots by Teun Koopmeiners revealed helplessness rather than posing a threat.
No penalty after Olmo handball
But things got dicey after 50 minutes. After a free kick by Remo Freuler, Dani Olmo blocked the ball with his hand in the penalty area – the video assistant referee called referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz to the sidelines to check. The Spaniard didn’t give the penalty, which was definitely a matter of debate, because Olmo hadn’t unnaturally enlarged his body area when turning away – justifiable.
Immediately afterwards, the Leipzig defense was more stable again, the Lombards ran at them, but hardly came into the final situations. That was different for the Saxons: Nkunku already had the preliminary decision on his feet after a pass from Kevin Kampl in the 68th minute, but shot a little too stubbornly from a tight angle and failed to meet keeper Juan Musso.
Poulsen with the decisive pass
The trembling was also limited afterwards, because the Tedesco team continued to defend with great concentration. Substitute Yussuf Poulsen sent Nkunku down with five minutes remaining and goalkeeper Musso was unfairly able to knock him off his feet. Nkunku himself converted the penalty kick to make it 2-0 – and thus secured and well-deserved entry into the semi-finals.
The only drop of bitterness: The defenders Willi Orban and Mohamed Simakan are suspended in the first leg of the semi-finals – but that hardly spoiled the joy of the second entry into a European semi-final.