Champions League
Leverkusen dismantles Red Bull – Leipzig crisis worsens
Updated 11/27/2024 – 7:52 a.mReading time: 4 min.
Leverkusen impressively demonstrated its improving form in the Champions League. While Bayer Red Bull dismantled Salzburg, Leipzig slipped deeper and deeper into the crisis.
After their 5-2 win in the Bundesliga against Heidenheim, Bayer Leverkusen also performed well in the Champions League. The German soccer champions easily and easily beat the top Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg 5-0 (3-0). In front of 29,211 spectators, the strong Florian Wirtz (8th minute/foul penalty/30th) as well as Alejandro Grimaldo (11th), Patrik Schick (61st) and Aleix García (72nd) scored the goals.
RB Leipzig, on the other hand, continues to struggle in November 2024. The Saxons lost 0:1 (0:1) at Inter Milan. The unlucky person of the day was RB defender Castello Lukeba, who scored an own goal (27th). This means that coach Marco Rose’s team has been without a win in five games across all competitions.
Leverkusen started against the young Salzburg team with enthusiasm and attack. The champions were already 2-0 down against 1. FC Heidenheim after 20 minutes, and that shouldn’t happen to the home team in the Champions League.
With an early standard double strike, the hosts quickly steered the game in their direction. First Wirtz scored with a much-discussed hand penalty, four minutes later Grimaldo followed up with a directly converted free kick with his inimitable shooting technique. At this point, Salzburg had to do without their offensive player Karim Konaté. The 20-year-old left the field with a grimace of pain on his face.
Leverkusen had the game firmly under control, but had to be on their guard when counterattacking. Wirtz, who was in a good mood, showed his class on the third goal when he didn’t let three opponents stop him and shot the ball into the far corner. Granit Xhaka, Grimaldo and Exequiel Palacios had further good opportunities for the Bayer team, but RB keeper Alexander Schlager was still one of his team’s best players.
Finally, backup center forward Schick also scored his first goal in the Champions League. The replacement for the injured Victor Boniface made it 4-0 after an hour and has now scored five goals in the last three games. Substitute García scored after Wirtz’s preparatory work to make it 5-0.
Inter sent the first signal with a shot from Mehdi Taremi (4th), which deflected and was dangerous for RB goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi. The Hungarian then saved against Federico Dimarco (8th). Inter were immediately in the game, combining quickly and confidently. RB noticed the uncertainty after four competitive games without a win, especially in midfield the rate of bad passes in the opening quarter of an hour was too high. Gulácsi was once again wide awake when Lázaro Martínez (18th) took advantage of a cross.
He had no chance when conceding the goal. In keeping with the current RB situation, Lukeba unfortunately received a free kick from Dimarco on his lower leg, from where the ball went through his own legs and into the goal. Afterwards, Christoph Baumgartner (31′) prevented the score from making it 0-2 on the line. Until the half-time whistle, RB did not have a top-class scoring opportunity.
After just over an hour, Leipzig had more of the game. Rose brought additional impetus with Benjamin Šeško, Nicolas Seiwald and Assan Ouédraogo. Just four minutes later, Quedraogo had to go down again due to an injury because the toe of his foot got caught in the grass.
RB optimized the counter-pressing again, but was too lacking in ideas when they had possession of the ball. Antonio Nusa (69) had the first and best chance to equalize. Ex-Bundesliga keeper Yann Sommer brilliantly parried his well-placed shot. In the final phase Leipzig became stronger and stronger. Suddenly Inter wobbled. But RB didn’t reward themselves.
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