Depressed mood, restrained jubilation: On a gloomy evening, DFB Cup winner RB Leipzig took the next hurdle on the way to successfully defending the title. On Wednesday evening, the Saxons won the round of 16, which was overshadowed by a medical emergency, against weak Bundesliga rivals TSG Hoffenheim 3-1 (2-0) and still need two wins to reach their fourth final in five years.
At the same time, RB continued its impressive run: Coach Marco Rose’s team has been unbeaten in 17 competitive games. TSG is still waiting for its first competitive win since October. Emil Forsberg (8th) and Konrad Laimer (41st) gave the Champions League round of 16 a comfortable lead before the break. Kasper Dolberg (77th) shortened the lead and briefly caused tension in the final phase – until Timo Werner (84th) scored for Leipzig. Hoffenheim’s Stanley N’Soki (86th) saw yellow-red shortly before the end.
The brief cheering after the goals broke the otherwise mostly prevailing silence in the stands. Because of a medical emergency, the RB supporters limited their support. A person had to be resuscitated at the stadium entrance before the game. The person was taken to the hospital, further details initially remained unclear on Wednesday evening.
Rose rotated vigorously, including the Norwegian Örjan Nyland in goal for Janis Blaswich. Christopher Nkunku and Dani Olmo are out longer. At TSG, Thomas Delaney initially sat on the bench. On the pitch, Leipzig initially left no doubts about their own ambitions. Rose’s team came out of the dressing room with great self-confidence and an offensive drive. After winning the ball, RB switched quickly, but remained too imprecise in the passing game. Forsberg did better, taking the lead from around 20 meters out.
The atmosphere affected the game of both teams. Leipzig and Hoffenheim made a lot of lack of concentration and mistakes, rarely did a team dangerously advance into the last third of the opponent. In one of the few good actions, Andre Silva narrowly missed a sharp cross from Marcel Halstenberg. Shortly before the change of sides, Leipzig found new impetus. Long diagonal balls to Halstenberg proved to be a tried and tested means, Leipzig came to an end several times in the penalty area.
Laimer, who is said to be about to move to Bayern Munich, increased. Silva (43rd) and Timo Werner (44th) had more chances. Leipzig also seemed on course after the break. TSG didn’t come up with much offensively, and Delaney’s substitution didn’t initially have the desired effect. RB controlled what was happening in an encounter that was becoming weaker, but often acted negligently and made little of the playful overweight. That took revenge when TSG came through through Dolberg and took heart. In the final minutes, Hoffenheim tried to increase the pressure. The Leipzig fans now cheered on their team a little louder.