The team of Leipzig coach Marco Rose defeated the reigning German champions 3-2 (1-2) on Saturday (31 August 2024) in front of 29,615 spectators in the BayArena.
Minute of silence for Christoph Daum
After a minute’s silence for the deceased Christoph Daum, Jeremie Frimpong (39th) made the Bayer fans cheer for the first time (39th). Alejandro Grimaldo even added to the lead (45th) – but Kevin Kampl (45th+7) headed in the equalizer shortly before half-time. Lois Openda (57th) equalized and finally dealt Bayer the knockout (80th). It was Bayer’s first defeat in the Bundesliga since May 27, 2023.
Concern for Haidara
This is how the game went: After Edmond Tapsoba (6th) and Piero Hincapie (10th) failed to capitalize on very good header chances, the entire stadium initially held its breath. Bayer striker Victor Boniface attempted an overhead kick after a corner and hit Leipzig’s Amadou Haidara squarely on the head.
Rose must go down
Haidara initially lay motionless, but then left the field of play on his own. Boniface was shown a yellow card, Nicolas Seiwald came into play – and the game became more hectic. Rose’s emotions were running high, in particular. The RB coach complained too vehemently in front of his bench after an alleged foul and was sent off the pitch by referee Matthias Jöllenbeck in the 26th minute.
Bayer initially dominates
After half an hour and the first drink break of the warm late summer evening, there were sporting highlights again. Benjamin Sesko (32′) missed the guests’ best chance up to that point, while on the other side Frimpong did better when he appeared free in front of Peter Gulacci and scored from close range. Just six minutes later, Grimaldo easily slotted home after a well-considered cross pass from Florian Wirtz.
RB strikes back
But in what seemed like a safe position, the Bayer defense left Kampl criminally free, allowing the midfielder to effortlessly head in the equalizer. At the start of the second half, Leipzig kept the pressure on and Bayer let up. Openda scored from a tight angle through the legs of Hradecky’s replacement Matej Kovar and sealed the deal ten minutes before the final whistle.
