While Leipzig’s season was never going to live or die based on the game against Hoffenheim, there was always a chance that a defeat – or even another draw – could really knock their momentum for six. As it turns out, though, there was no real reason to worry as the visitors registered a relatively comfortable 2-0 win to give their Champions League qualification hopes a huge injection of life.
Early drama
All eyes right now are understandably on the Bundesliga title race, with Bayern Munich being on the verge of securing an eighth consecutive championship if they results go their way this weekend. Beyond that, though, Leipzig wanted to kick this set of fixtures off in style. In the end, it didn’t take them long whatsoever to do just that.
It was a ‘cometh the hour’, cometh the man’ sort of performance for Dani Olmo who was able to open the scoring within the first nine minutes of the game, skipping past two defenders before slotting home the opener. Before Hoffenheim even know what had hit them, Olmo made it two from eight yards out.
Easing the stress
Timo Werner, who looks set to leave the club in favour of a move to Premier League side Chelsea, missed his own share of chances with the most notable coming when he blazed over from a one-on-one situation. This game was the definition of a barnburner from the get go, because before Leipzig had even taken the lead, Hoffenheim were awarded a penalty – only for the decision to be overturned courtesy of a timely intervention from VAR.
Leizpig rode their luck at times but they were able to push through, and eventually, the full time whistle blew to signal a really big three points for Julian Nagelsmann’s men. They now face the challenge of two very tough games over the course of the next eight days, as they gear up for back-to-back home fixtures against Fortuna Dusseldorf and Borussia Dortmund. Hoffenheim will be attempting to keep their own European hopes alive with a busy schedule of their own, as they prepare to visit Augsburg before hosting Union Berlin.
Match Report
Hoffenheim: Baumann (7), Bicakcic (7), Grillitsch (7), Posch (6), Zuber (5.5), Samassekou (6), Rudy (7), Kaderabek (7), Geiger (6.5), Baumgartner (6.5), Dabbur (7), Bebou (6.5), Akpoguma (6), Skov (7), Larsen (6.5), Kramaric (6)
RB Leipzig: Gulacsi (8.5), Mukiele (8), Klostermann (7), Halstenberg (7), Angelino (7), Sabitzer (7.5), Kampl (7), Laimer (7), Olmo (8.5), Schick (6.5), Werner (7.5), Lookman (6.5), Adams (6), Haidara (6.5), Konate (6), Nkunku (6.5)
Referee: Tobias Welz
Goals: Olmo x2
Yellow Cards: Samassekou, Zuber, Klostermann, Nkunku
Red Cards: N/A
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