After the 1-0 (0-0) draw at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday (September 23rd, 2023), RB Leipzig remains on the heels of league leaders Bayern Munich. Only one point separates RB in the Bundesliga from Munich, who initially took the lead in the league with 13 points. Borussia Mönchengladbach, on the other hand, has to wait for their first win.
Substitute Timo Werner redeemed Leipzig with the goal of the day after 71 minutes. Before that, Leipzig had to fight for a long time with the hosts, who were strong in duels, and showed a weak offensive performance. Gladbach, on the other hand, presented themselves as equals, but are still without a win.
Gladbach is on a par with Leipzig
The first few minutes surprisingly belonged to the hosts. First Maximilian Wöber headed just over the goal, then Leipzig’s David Raum cleared a cross from Luca Netz in dire need. The Saxons, on the other hand, were surprisingly harmless; after half an hour there was no chance of scoring for the guests, who had been convincing in the league so far. This is another reason why coach Gerardo Seone was satisfied at the sports show microphone: “The team showed a good face from the start and allowed very little.”
It was only in the minutes before the break that RB gained a bit more hold on Gladbach’s penalty area for the first time. However, there was a lack of determination and drive to score. The “Foals” team won almost all of the important duels defensively – until the minute before the break: Leipzig’s Fabio Carvalho took heart from a distance and seriously tested Moritz Nicolas in the Gladbach goal for the first time.
Werner secures RB’s victory
After the break, Leipzig tried to take control of the game, Gladbach relied on targeted switching situations. One of them almost led to success, but Janis Blaswich saved Rocco Reitz’s header brilliantly. However, Gladbach didn’t pay attention once: with a bit of luck, a pass from Xavi Simmons found its way into the path of substitute Werner, who went around Nicolas and hit the goal from a tight angle.
Gladbach continued to throw everything in, but lacked offensive penetration. Nathan N’Goumou missed the best opportunity in stoppage time. Leipzig otherwise cleverly defended all of the “Fohlen’s” efforts, but did not make good use of their counterattack opportunities. Nevertheless, it was ultimately enough for success.
Gladbach in Bochum, Leipzig in a duel with Bayern
On the next matchday, Borussia Mönchengladbach will be visiting VfL Bochum (Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.). RB Leipzig meets FC Bayern Munich in the top game (6.30 p.m.).