DFB Cup
Before the Bayern duel: Leipzig is struggling to reach the second round of the cup
Emil Forsberg (l) scored the early lead for Leipzig. photo
© Uwe Anspach/dpa
Cup defenders RB Leipzig delivered a lackluster performance in Wiesbaden that should not instill much fear in their next opponents. There needs to be an improvement against Bayern Munich on Saturday.
RB Leipzig has the first task on the way to the desired title hat-trick The DFB Cup was only mastered with difficulty and left a lot of room for improvement for the top Bundesliga game against FC Bayern.
Four days before the showdown with the German record champions from Munich, the Champions League participant won his first round game against second division soccer team SV Wehen Wiesbaden 3:2 (2:1) and thus reached the second round, which will be drawn next Sunday.
Comeback for goalkeeper Gulasci
Emil Forsberg in the 7th minute and Benjamin Sesko twice (18th/70th) scored the goals for Leipzig in front of 12,100 spectators, who have now been unbeaten in 13 cup games. The last cup defeat for the time being dates back to May 2021, when RB lost the final against Borussia Dortmund. Ivan Prtajin (41st/73rd) scored twice for the bravely fighting Hessians.
Leipzig’s coach Marco Rose used the guest appearance at the second division promoted team to make a big rotation of personnel. The 47-year-old changed his starting lineup to six positions compared to the recent 1-0 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi celebrated his comeback after almost a year out due to a torn cruciate ligament.
For striker Timo Werner, who scored the winning goal in Gladbach, his first starting eleven appearance this season was unsuccessful. The national player did not even make the trip to the Hessian capital because of persistent back problems. “Timo is going through a difficult phase at the moment. We are all trying to support him,” said Rose on ARD before kick-off.
Prtajin counters Sesko
Despite the many personnel changes, the Saxons dominated the game and took the lead early on. After SVWW goalkeeper Florian Stritzel was able to fend off a header from Yussuf Poulsen, Forsberg hammered the follow-up shot under the crossbar.
The home team hardly had any organized offensive action, but they still had a chance through Hyun-Ju Lee (14th). However, Gulacsi parried the South Korean’s shot. On the other side, Stritzel prevented the second goal from being conceded with a double save against Sesko and Poulsen, but it came shortly afterwards. This time Sesko aimed better, preceded by a catastrophic bad pass from Wehen’s Marcus Mathisen.
Despite the early setbacks, Wiesbaden didn’t give up and were rewarded for their efforts shortly before half-time. After a pass from Martin Angha, Prtajin lobbed the ball over Gulacsi and into the net.
After the change, the guests dominated the game, but were largely harmless. Only Sesko found a gap in the dense Hessian defense with a brilliant shot into the corner, which Prtajin countered just 120 seconds later. But it wasn’t enough for the Wiesbaden team because Gulacsi parried a shot from Julius Kade shortly before the end (88th).