bundesliga

RB Leipzig condemn 10-man Borussia Dortmund to defeat

09.12.2023

RB Leipzig survived a late onslaught to consolidate fourth spot in the standings thanks to a 3-2 win against the 10 men of Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund 2-3 Leipzig
Goals: 0-1 Bensebaini (o.g. 32'), 1-1 Süle 45'+ 6 (assist: Brandt), 1-2 Baumgartner (54'), 1-3 Poulsen 90'+1 (assist: Forsberg), 2-3 Füllkrug 90'+3 (assist: Brandt)
Red card: Hummels (15')

A heavyweight tussle at the Signal Iduna Park saw both sides keen on gaining a touch more consistency on the domestic front. Knocked out of the DFB Cup by VfB Stuttgart in the week, Dortmund soon found themselves in trouble in their latest Bundesliga fixture. Panic gripped the Yellow Wall when Xaver Schlager's fine through pass sent Loïs Openda racing clear. Struggling to keep up, Mats Hummels upended the Leipzig forward. The BVB centre-back was initially booked and a penalty awarded to the visitors. However, a VAR check changed the spot-kick to a free-kick just outside the area, meaning last-man Hummels was ordered off. The omens appeared grim for the Schwarzgelben. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel did his best for the home cause, keeping Mohamed Simakan and Amadou Haidara efforts out. Yet, there was little the Swiss custodian could do when Ramy Bensebaini headed into his own net from David Raum's corner. As the rain fell, Dortmund eventually began to create. Janis Blaswich brilliantly turned Salih Özcan's lob over. From the resulting set-piece, the ball was worked to Julian Brandt, whose sublime pass to the far post was met by substitute Niklas Süle's controlled finish.

Winners at Heidenheim last weekend, Leipzig kept themselves in touch with the division's top teams and ahead of their opponents Dortmund in the standings. The chance to stretch further in front of the Black-and-Yellows saw Marco Rose's side up their efforts against the ten men after the restart. Christoph Baumgartner's determined break through the centre led to the midfielder picking out the always menacing Xavi on the left. The on-loan attacker drew a smart, one-handed stop from Kobel but Baumgartner was there to slot in the loose ball as Die Roten Bullen edged back in front. A combination of the post and Kobel prevented Baumgartner from adding another as Leipzig looked to turn the screw. Yussuf Poulsen looked to have done just that when his sashay and finish made it 3-1 yet, incredibly, BVB weren't done. Niclas Füllkrug's injury-time header set up a grandstand finale, with Blaswich making a flying stop from Gio Reyna after Süle drilled just wide. It wasn't to be for Borussia, though, with Edin Terzić's men having now won only one of their last six Bundesliga games.

Match stats

Baumgartner scored his first away goal in Leipzig colours and his third overall this season in the Bundesliga.
Poulsen scored in his third consecutive Bundesliga game, a first for the Dane.
Hummels was sent off for the the third time in his Bundesliga career, and on his 430th appearance in the German top flight.
Hummels' 15th minute expulsion was the earliest red card in BVB's Bundesliga history.
Brandt laid on his sixth and seventh assists of the campaign.
BVB have not been involved in a scoreless draw in the Bundesliga for a record 141 games.

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Watch: Christoph Baumgartner on Dortmund win

Teams

Dortmund: Kobel - Meunier (Reyna 82'), Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini (Malen 82') - Özcan, Can (c) - Reus (Adeyemi 71'), Brandt, Bynoe-Gittens (Süle 19') - Füllkrug
Unused subs: Meyer, Morey, Blank, Papadopoulos, Brunner
Out: Duranville (thigh), Haller (knee), Lotka (suspended), Moukoko (thigh), Nmecha (hip), Ryerson (knee), Sabitzer (calf), Wolf (ankle)
Coach: Edin Terzić

Leipzig: Blaswich - Simakan, Klostermann (c), Castello - Henrichs, Schlager, Haidara (Kampl 81'), Raum - Xavi (Šeško 76'), Baumgartner (Forsberg 75') - Openda (Poulsen 75')
Unused subs: Gulácsi, Lenz, Bitshiabu, Seiwald, Carvalho
Out: Olmo (shoulder), Orban (knee), Werner (muscular)
Coach: Marco Rose