RECAP: Leipzig Top Young Boys with Second Half Surge

photo by DPA/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

by Anthony J. Merced

RB Leipzig defeated Young Boys 3-1 in their opening game in the UEFA Champions League group stage in Wankdorf Stadium on Tuesday night. It took a second half surge for the club to take all three points with goals from veteran Xaver Schlager and youngster Benjamin Sesko to put the game away.

Leipzig started fast with a goal in the third minute by Mohamed Simakan. The defender put away a corner kick with a header to give the East German powerhouses the lead. From there Young Boys surged back, pressing Leipzig and creating chances. It led to an equalizer in the 33rd minute by Meschak Elia. The striker settled the ball in the box before turning and taking a shot that beat goalkeeper Yanis Blaswich.

Leipzig emerged for the second half with vigor and pressed for a second goal early. Luis Openda and Yusuf Poulsen had chances that were brushed aside by the Young Boys keeper. A chance by Xavi Simons was also stopped although the teamed argued for a foul.

The game-winning goal finally came in the 73rd minute when Schlager blasted an effort in the 73rd minute from outside the box and found the back of the net. From there Leipzig continued to pressure until finding the brace from Sesko in stoppage time.

The win is fourth in a row in all competitions and sees them as heavy favorites to get out of the group. Next up is a road game in the Bundesliga this weekend against Borussia Monchengladbach with a chance to go top of Germany's first division.

STARTING XI:

RB Leipzig: Blaswich; Henrichs, Simakan, Lukeba, Raum, Simons, Schlager, Kampl, Forsberg, Openda, Poulsen

Young Boys: Racioppi; Janko, Amenda, Camara, Benito, Garcia, Niasse, Lauper, Ugrinic, Itten, Elia

SCORING SUMMARY:

3' (RB Leipzig) Mohamed Simakan

33' (Young Boys) Meschak Elia

73' (RB Leipzig) Xaver Schlager

90' (RB Leipzig) Benjamin Sesko

Comments

Red Bulls Announce Fan Experience Improvements

by Garry Redman On top of the theme nights announced this season, something new has been added the next time the season ticket holders and supporters step inside The Cathedral... The state-of-the-art LED lighting system at Red Bull Arena will provide higher on-field light levels for enhanced visibility and safety and introduce new entertainment features that heighten the overall experience for spectators. Built around Musco's Total Light Control—TLC for LED™ technology, the new system is designed to provide exceptional playability and uniformity while minimizing glare. Cleaner, whiter light will elevate the broadcast quality for fans watching around the world. Color-changing fixtures and Show-Light® Pro entertainment technology will allow the Red Bulls to wash the stadium in different colors and synchronize light shows to music, heightening the fan experience during goal celebrations, player introductions, and other big moments. If you have no idea what this means, cl...

Quotes: Red Bulls Show Promise, But More Work Need To Be Done

photo by Matt Kremkau Sixty seconds in a ninety-minute match. That’s all it took for Sporting Kansas City to ruin the Opening Day festivities at Red Bull Arena on Saturday night. The supporters in attendance saw crisp passing and a stout defense that kept the visitors at bay, despite not having striker Alan Pulido in the starting lineup. But significantly, the supporters were buoyed by a return to that press that has last seen since Jesse Marsch was in charge. But that was the first 45 minutes. In the second half, things turned for the better and then, shockingly, worse for the home side that evening. Midfielder Caden Clark, who scored the opening goal, spoke about the match as a whole: I’ve kept that in the back of my mind, actually, not scoring at home. I really wanted to do that in front of the supporters, and it was great to do that in front of the few that were here tonight who brought the noise. When I scored that [goal] the place was shaking, and you feed off of that and gai...

Editorial: New York Red Bulls are Fun to Watch

photo by Matt Kremkau by Daniel Feuerstein The New York Red Bulls 2024 season starts off and running. In their first three matches, they have looked different from their last five to six seasons of doom and despair when trying to attack or have a lapse in judgment on the defensive end. The two big editions for the club are undoubtedly the imports from Sweden in Centerback Noah Elle & attacking midfielder Emil Forsberg. Two players who are a part of the Swedish National Team have started off well in Major League Soccer. We all knew what we were getting right away from Forsberg. A high-energy creative and attacking midfielder who was already bought in from day one, when Director of Sport Jochen Schneider went to Leipzig and brought him over. He was already committed to making the trip to the United States to play his brand of soccer, and so far he hasn't disappointed. Even though he has come close three times off of free kicks, hitting the crossbar twice and being saved by the ke...

Red Bull News Network

Search This Blog