With coach number three even deeper into the earnings crisis: With the third defeat in a row, RB Leipzig continues to lose ground in the battle for the Champions League places. The weakened runners-up did not have to admit defeat 1: 2 (1: 1) undeservedly in the Friday game at Union Berlin. Leipzig’s deficit on the Iron, who temporarily climbed to fourth place in the table, is already five points.
RB Managing Director Oliver Mintzlaff therefore complained after the final whistle at DAZN about a “catastrophic performance” that had to be “analyzed very hard” because: “We cannot achieve our goals this way.” The responsible RB coach on the sidelines was the second assistant Marco Kurth, because the now badly ailing head coach Jesse Marsch and his first representative Achim Beierlorzer were in corona quarantine.
Union striker Max Kruse was happy about a “well-deserved” victory: “We played a very strong game from the first to the last minute and we could have won even higher.”
Striker Taiwo Awoniyi had put Berlin in the lead with his ninth goal of the season (6th), but only seven minutes later Christopher Nkunku equalized 1-1 with the active support of Union goalkeeper Andreas Luthe. Central defender Timo Baumgart finally scored 2-1 (57th) for Union. Leipzig, who are still fighting for the Europa League ticket in the Champions League against Manchester City on Tuesday, have been waiting for a win for ten away games.
The game took place in the sold-out Alte Försterei in front of 13,506 spectators. The new regulation, according to which a maximum of 5000 visitors are only allowed in Berlin, will only come into force next week.
At RB, captain Peter Gulacsi surprisingly returned to goal after the Hungarian resumed training on Wednesday after a corona quarantine. Amadou Haidara and Ilaix Moriba had to pass at short notice due to injury. In addition, three players were missing after positive tests.
Union – Leipzig: FCU more grippy from the start
The many failures and the negative run were clearly noticeable to the guests at the beginning. Union was more grippy, stronger in two fights – and more effective: Awoniyi used the first chance after a header from central defender Baumgartl to take the lead. The Berliners stayed on the trigger and missed the huge chance to 2-0 (12th) through Max Kruse. In return, Nkunku scored to equalize, but Luthe should have kept the touchdown.
After that it was a game on equal terms. The Leipzigers showed the technically finer football, the Berliners held against it with enthusiasm and commitment. However, both teams rarely made it into the opposing penalty area.
After the break, the game got livelier again. The onset of snowfall helped the home side in particular, as they were able to better play out their strengths on the slippery surface. In the 50th minute, Leipzig was lucky that referee Harm Osmers denied Rani Khedira’s goal because he had seen a foul on the RB goalkeeper Gulacsi.
Only a little later, defender Baumgartl was spot on after a rebound in the penalty area. After the renewed deficit, only RB pressed the equalizer, then Union missed several good opportunities.
