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Lukas Klostermann cannot keep up, Mohamed Salah uses a Leipzig mistake to lead
Photo: Laszlo Szirtesi / Getty Images
Scene of the game:
Marcel Sabitzer had actually wanted to be on the safe side: With Roberto Firmino pressing behind him, Leipzig's captain wanted to integrate his own defensive chain.
Sabitzer's back pass did not come into the foot of defender Lukas Klostermann, but into his back.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah grabbed the ball and the Egyptians made it 1-0 for the English champions.
It was only ever that easy for the Reds that evening when Leipzig helped out.
The result:
And Julian Nagelsmann's team did that more than once: 0: 2 (0: 0) the Bundesliga runner-up lost his (nominal) home game in the last sixteen of the Champions League.
This makes it difficult to qualify for the round of eight in the second leg.
Here is the message.
Home game only for one:
The venue was an excitement in the run-up to the game: Instead of Leipzig, the game took place in the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.
The reason for this was the German entry rules: People entering from Great Britain are subject to special restrictions due to the B.1.1.7.-mutation of the coronavirus, in Germany Liverpool would not have been able to compete.
The move led to a) a debate about the humility of professional football, b) the rule of away goals ad absurdum and c) to the fact that initially only Leipzig's Hungarian goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi had a "home game" against his ex-club.
Tempo versus tempo:
In the second half, Willi Orbán, a second Hungarian national player, joined the game - although he was not born in Budapest like Gulácsi, but from Kaiserslautern.
There were tactical reasons why Orban was not part of the starting line-up: "We decided on speed," explained Julian Nagelsmann before the game.
Therefore, in addition to the soon-to-be-Munich Dayot Upamecano, the equally lightning-fast Klostermann and Nordi Mukiele started in the defense chain to take on Liverpool's pacemakers Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah.
The first half:
Leipzig attracted attention early on with a Spanish co-production, a cross from Angeliño headed Dani Olmo from close range to the inside post (5th minute).
Liverpool then gradually gained the upper hand in an intense game in which both teams gave their opponents little undisturbed time on the ball.
Gulácsi had to intervene several times - and was lucky that the referee team did not recognize a header from Firminos: After a bad pass from Upamecano, Liverpool quickly switched to Thiago and Mané, the ball is said to have been just outside the goal (36th).
So it went goalless into the break.
The second half:
Again a great Leipzig chance made the start, this time Alisson saved against Christopher Nkunku (46th).
Again Liverpool were better in the game after that.
And again Leipzig made mistakes: First Salah used Sabitzer's bad pass to lead, then Nordi Mukiele struck past a break from Curtis Jones.
So the way for Mané to 2-0 was clear (58th).
The last half hour belonged to Leipzig to a large extent, but the few deals did not come to the Liverpool goal, or not dangerous enough.
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It can be so easy: Sadio Mané also had a lot of help from Leipzig with his goal
Photo: Marton Monus / dpa
Klopp's satisfaction:
Before the game, Jürgen Klopp called the Leipzig team "a real board".
The fact that there are now only a few sawdust left can be seen as a great relief in view of the latest results: With six defeats, one draw and three wins, Liverpool FC's competitive game record in 2021 read like that of a relegation candidate, not like that of a title contender.
During the week Klopp even had to fend off rumors of resignation, emphasizing: "I don't need a break." At least in the Champions League, the team filled the coach's words with life.
Kabak's baptism of fire:
Ozan Kabak's career
path has risen
steeply in recent weeks: The Turkish defensive talent switched from Bundesliga bottom Schalke 04 on loan to Liverpool and made it straight to the regular player.
The main reason for this is the injuries suffered by Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.
In the evening Kabak celebrated his Champions League debut - and remained largely flawless in central defense alongside Reds captain Jordan Henderson.
The fact that he usually oscillates between sixth and eighth position says a lot about the Liverpool personnel situation on the defensive.
And now?
The second leg between the two teams is scheduled for March 10th.
Whether and where it can take place, however, is in the stars in view of the corona pandemic: According to the current status, the people of Leipzig could probably not travel to Anfield Road without being quarantined for 14 days afterwards.
In case of doubt, there is likely to be another place to play somewhere in Europe - the sense and nonsense of such relocations is likely to be disputed again.
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