Timo Werner brings up century with brace as RB Leipzig ease past Bochum
Timo Werner got his 100th goal for RB Leipzig – with Christopher Nkunku also on the scoresheet twice – as Marco Rose’s team eased past bottom side Bochum.
RB Leipzig 4-0 Bochum
Goals: 1-0 Werner (15’), 2-0 Nkunku (pen, 23’), 3-0 Werner (53’), 4-0 Nkunku 85' (assist: Forsberg)
Bochum began life under new coach Thomas Letsch looking to get their first win of the season but they were outplayed from start to finish in Leipzig. Werner came close to opening the scoring inside just six minutes when he ran in behind but curled one against the outside of the far post. He didn’t have to wait much longer for his 100th RB goal, however, when a ball ricocheted through and the Germany international picked out the far top corner with aplomb. The waves of Leipzig attacks continued but it was a penalty that doubled their lead when Nkunku was tripped by Jannes Horn. The France international got up himself to beat Manuel Riemann from the spot. The visitors tried to change things up after just 30 minutes but it didn’t affect the flow of the play as Bochum failed to muster a single shot on goal in the first half of a Bundesliga game since their 2021 promotion.
Like at the start, it took Werner a couple of attempts to find his radar after the break. Denied at first by Riemann, he was on the spot shortly after to tap home the rebound of an Andre Silva shot that came off the post and the back of the unfortunate goalkeeper. Leipzig and Nkunku were presented with a chance to make it four when Cristian Gamboa trod on Marcel Halstenberg in the box, but the team’s top scorer failed to double up as he struck the outside of the post. Dominik Szoboszlai stung the palms of Riemann, who again denied Werner a hat-trick, but Leipzig would go on to make it four when Emil Forsberg slipped in Nkunku to finish and make it 4-0 and 3-0 wins in two home games under Rose. Bochum, meanwhile, remain bottom of the table with just a single point to their name.
Match stats
- Werner brought up a century of Leipzig goals (now 101) in his 169th game for the club.
- Nkunku has scored a league-leading 19 goals this calendar year, including a club-best six this season.
- The Frenchman had converted his first three penalties in the Bundesliga before missing the fourth.
- Leipzig have won all eight competitive meetings with Bochum.
- The Ruhr club have conceded 23 goals and also seen opponents strike the woodwork 10 times this season, including four of the former and three of the latter in this game.
- Bochum have given away a league-high six penalties across the first eight matchdays.
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Teams
Leipzig: Gulacsi (c) - Simakan (Henrichs 60’), Orban, Gvardiol, Halstenberg (Raum 73’) - Kampl, Schlager (Haidara 73’) - Nkunku, Szoboszlai (Forsberg 73’), Werner (Novoa 83’) - Silva
Unused subs: Blaswich, Ba, Diallo
Out: Klostermann (ankle), Laimer (ankle), Olmo (knee)
Coach: Marco Rose
Bochum: Riemann - Oermann, Ordets, Horn (Antwi-Adjei 46’) - Gamboa, Losilla (c), Goralski (Stöger 46’), Osterhage, Soares (Masovic 35’) - Holtmann, Zoller (Hofmann 46’)
Unused subs: Esser, Förster, Osei-Tutu, Lampropoulos, Ganvoula
Out: Asano (knee), Grave (shoulder), Heintz (muscular), Stafylidis (muscular)
Coach: Thomas Letsch
Watch: Thomas Letsch - 'Bochum always the underdogs'
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