Xavi, who made his return to the starting lineup after an 81-day injury hiatus, shone as a double scorer, netting goals in the 23rd and 35th minutes. Forward Benjamin Sesko added a stunning goal just two minutes into the second half (47′), and Christoph Baumgartner capped off the scoring in the 90th minute. Antonio Nusa came close to adding another but hit the post in the 81st minute. For Bremen, who suffered a setback in their pursuit of international spots, Mitchell Weiser scored in the 26th minute and Oliver Burke struck in stoppage time (90+3′).
The experienced coach Klopp, who took charge of the football operations in the Red Bull international ecosystem at the start of the year, will address his roles and plans in detail on Tuesday at the company’s headquarters in Austria. On the frosty stands of the Leipzig Arena, Klopp, bundled up in a thick black jacket, scarf, and gloves, watched the match alongside sporting director Marcel Schäfer and Red Bull’s technical director Mario Gomez.
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During the critical end-of-year stretch, Leipzig’s squad situation improved over the short winter break. Alongside Xavi, national team player David Raum also made his first start since October after overcoming an injury. “We hope to be able to draw more from the full squad in the second half of the season. It wasn’t all bad – but we missed the boys,” coach Marco Rose said in a DAZN interview before kickoff.
Xavi showed little sign of lacking match practice. The young Dutch star was immediately influential in the center, showcasing his qualities in transition play. The 21-year-old also retained his goal-scoring threat, with his first two shots on target finding the net.
-Raum demonstrated his quality with set pieces, as a free-kick from the left-footer narrowly missed the target of Michael Zetterer (8′). Werder did not shy away during an open start to the match, demanding significant attention from Leipzig’s defense. Romano Schmid nearly capitalized on a cross in the 11th minute. Werder’s equalizer through Weiser was a product of strong combination play. Xavi, always probing the gaps in Bremen’s defense, also impressed with his playmaking.
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Klopp warmed up in the VIP area during the break and was treated to a long-awaited display of RB football shortly after the second half began. Following a misplaced pass from Weiser, Sesko spectacularly blasted the ball into the top corner. Leipzig continued to press forward thereafter.
