RB Leipzig is hot on the heels of the leading trio in the Bundesliga. In the duel of the Champions League participants, the Saxons win 2-1 (2-0) against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Timo Werner was worried about the threesome from the bench: after the final whistle and RB Leipzig’s important 2-1 (2-0) in the chasing duel against Eintracht Frankfurt, he ran onto the field and to his team-mates with a big grin. After all, he had ended his Bundesliga goal drought.
“We played a very, very strong first half. We could have scored one or two more goals. But in the end we deserved to win,” summarized Werner on Sky. His improvement in form is no coincidence for the former England legionnaire: “I’m pain-free after my injury, I was no longer restricted, that makes a big difference.”
With his sixth Bundesliga goal of the season, he put RB in the lead (6th). Later, the striker, who last scored at Schalke 04 on matchday 17, prepared the goal of his assist provider Emil Forsberg (40th) and thus provided the goal again three days after the 1-1 draw against Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 for a Leipzig sense of achievement. The DFB Cup winner climbed to fourth place in the table at least until Sunday.
The disappointment among the guests was great. “We had a very good phase in the second half, to do it again ourselves. In the end, Leipzig had the upper hand again,” emphasized Frankfurt’s Sebastian Rode, whose team suffered the next setback after the premier class bankruptcy against SSC Naples (0: 2). Djibril Sow only managed the connecting goal (61st).
Eintracht coach Oliver Glasner had to do without playmaker Mario Götze, who was not in the squad due to adductor problems. For the same reason, defender Lukas Klostermann was absent from the Leipzig squad.
In the duel between the Champions League participants, Leipzig put direct pressure on. Konrad Laimer moved on, Yussuf Poulsen’s shot was parried by Eintracht keeper Kevin Trapp, and Marcel Halstenberg missed the margin (2′). Less than three minutes later, RB reappeared dangerously in front of the Frankfurt goal, this time Forsberg missed the chance to take the lead.
Werner, who stumbled in front of Trapp, pushed the ball past the SGE goalkeeper over the line with his stumble shortly afterwards. Frankfurt initially only managed a little offensively, Leipzig threw themselves in between again and again. On the other side, Trapp had to intervene again when Laimer shot (24′).
Frankfurt only rarely came towards the penalty area, a free kick from Philipp Max landed in the wall (35th). RB didn’t let up, the hosts kept pushing forward, Werner after a sprint into the penalty area passed Forsberg in the middle, who scored from close range.
Even after the break, the guests initially found no solutions, and RB keeper Janis Blaswich was there when Randal Kolo Muani shot (52nd). Sow was a little later more successful for the increasingly active Frankfurt.
RB Leipzig – Eintracht Frankfurt: The data for the game
Leipzig: Blaswich – Henrichs (90+1 Simakan), Orban, Gvardiol, Halstenberg – Laimer, Kampl (69th Schlager) – Szoboszlai, Timo Werner (69th Silva) – Poulsen (59th Nkunku), Forsberg (69th Haidara). – Coach: Rose
Gates: 1-0 Werner (6th), 2-0 Forsberg (40th), 2-1 Sow (61st)
RB Leipzig – Eintracht Frankfurt: The voices of the game
Marco Rose (RB Leipzig coach): “I think it was a deserved win over 90 minutes. However, it was the difficult and intense game that I expected. Overall, it was a good performance from my lads, especially in the first half. In the second half, it was an open game with the goal conceded “We had the opportunity here and there to close it earlier. But you always have to be careful when it’s 2-1 and expect Frankfurt to ring the bell again. But we defended that well. It was a good, intense one Week in which we are happy that we were able to finish like this.”
Oliver Glasner (Eintracht Frankfurt coach): “We just have to realize that if we don’t play at our upper level for 90 minutes, then it’s not enough against a team like RB Leipzig and we saw that today, so we deserved to lose.”
