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RB Leipzig beats Real Madrid in the Champions League: the giant has fallen

2022-10-25T22:32:42.700Z


A good dozen teams tried in vain, now RB Leipzig has inflicted Real Madrid's first defeat of the season. Because Nkunku did magic, Werner also hit – and a right-back towered above him who doesn't want to be one.


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On top: The people of Leipzig around Emil Forsberg (left) celebrate the goal by Joško Gvardiol (middle)

Photo: IMAGO/Michael Taeger / IMAGO/Jan Huebner

From 0 to 9 in three games:

It was only a few weeks ago that RB Leipzig had their backs to the wall.

Two games, zero points, the ambitious cup winner was threatened with elimination in the group stage of the premier class.

Three games and nine points later, Leipzig have the best chance of progressing to the round of 16 before the final duel against pursuer Shakhtar Donetsk (six points).

"It's in our own hands, we don't even have to win," said goalscorer Timo Werner after the game - because that's exactly what they had just done against a team that didn't even know defeats from this season.

The result:

RB Leipzig beat Real Madrid 3:2 (2:1), the defending champions in the Champions League, who had survived the first 16 competitive games of the current season without going bankrupt.

Here is the match report.

Momentous crazy idea:

It shouldn't be too sensitive.

Mourning ribbon, minute of silence, RB Leipzig deliberately avoided such things.

Nevertheless, the man who paved the way for the club's success with his millions on his own was thought of: Dietrich Mateschitz, the Red Bull founder and sports patron who died in a big way at the weekend, was presented as a large-format picture on the scoreboards in the Leipzig Arena thunderous applause from the 45,000 or so.

"Without Mr. Mateschitz we would not be here today," said RB CEO Oliver Mintzlaff in advance at DAZN - and was right.

What the stadium announcer described as Mateschitz's "crazy idea" is the first German club that was conceived as a corporate advertising space and led to success.

A coup in terms of marketing strategy, still a memorial for many German football fans.

Missing three kings:

The reigning Champions League winners always count as a heavyweight, especially when he goes by the name of Real Madrid.

Nevertheless, Marco Rose and Co. could have taken a few small stones off their hearts when studying the squad lists in advance, as one particularly prominent trio did not even make the trip to Germany: the eternal playmaker Luka Modrić, the ailing bundle of energy Fede Valverde this season non-stop in Gala form, and of course Karim Benzema.

Due to a muscle injury, he is allowed to relax for a while with his newly won Ballon d'Or.

Point collectors:

This is how well-organized Leipzigers bought the guts out of a slightly improvised Real team, without a clear fixed point in the attack and with a newly formed midfield.

Joško Gvardiol stole an early corner from a corner (13th minute), then someone who had been on the list for the Golden Ball with Benzema came to the fore: where Benzema had received 549 votes, his compatriot Christopher Nkunku collected none .

But Nkunku is gradually getting more and more scorer points: His shot under the bar to make it 2-0 (18th), also shortly after a corner, was the attacker's sixth competitive goal in October.

And they fight back:

And Real?

They had to shake themselves first before they became dangerous.

Marco Asensio's start before the goal, when Vinícius Júnior headed in sharply, showed RB Leipzig for a few fractions of a second where the individual class of the royal team would be difficult to defend.

A player from Leipzig almost always threw himself into Real’s other attacking efforts, Willi Orban was particularly adept at his clean tackle against Vini Jr. (65’), and Nkunku was particularly clumsy, whose follow-up against Rodrygo enabled the late connection with a penalty (90’+4’). .

Reluctant right-back:

After the final whistle, coach Rose distributed a little love to a protégé who was not only named Uefa's man of the game, but whose career otherwise takes place away from the limelight: "Absolute special praise for Momo today," he announced Leipzig coach.

What was meant was Mohamed Simakan, an impressive central defender who helped out on the right flank with a lot of bite and commitment.

"He's doing it for the team," Rose explained about the unusual position from which Simakan prepared substitute Werner's 3-1 lead (81').

"If I ask him in the changing room now: 'Isn't that something for you?' he will definitely say no."

All nines:

six wins, two draws – the October balance of Roses Leipzig reads impressively.

On Saturday (3.30 p.m., TV: Sky) RB will now welcome Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the month.

Against the troubled Werkself, Leipzig could make the unbeaten October perfect.

Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2022-10-25

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