Bundesliga: Leipzig stages late comeback to beat Werder 2-1 and reclaim third place

Leipzig, which faces Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich next week, is third on 60 points, one ahead of Union Berlin in fourth, and four in front of fifth-placed Freiburg.

Published : May 14, 2023 23:27 IST , BERLIN - 1 MIN READ

Dominik Szoboszlai of RB Leipzig celebrates with teammate Mohamed Simakan after scoring the winner against SV Werder Bremen.
Dominik Szoboszlai of RB Leipzig celebrates with teammate Mohamed Simakan after scoring the winner against SV Werder Bremen. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
infoIcon

Dominik Szoboszlai of RB Leipzig celebrates with teammate Mohamed Simakan after scoring the winner against SV Werder Bremen. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

RB Leipzig struck twice late in the game to snatch a 2-1 comeback win over visiting Werder Bremen on Sunday and reclaim third place in the Bundesliga with two matches remaining.

Willi Orban headed in an 87th-minute equaliser to cancel out Leonardo Bittencourt’s 70th-minute opener before Christopher Nkunku delivered another assist in stoppage time for Dominik Szoboszlai to tap in the winner.

Leipzig, which faces Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich next week, is third on 60 points, one ahead of Union Berlin in fourth, and four in front of fifth-placed Freiburg.

The top four teams qualify for the lucrative Champions League group stage next season.

The host had a string of chances in the first half and also hit the post through Szoboszlai before Werder gradually became bolder and went close with a chance of its own from Marvin Ducksch.

Leipzig top scorer Nkunku thought he had settled the host’s nerves when he tapped in a Timo Werner cutback in the 68th but his effort was eventually ruled out after a lengthy VAR review.

Instead it was Werder who broke the deadlock when unmarked Bittencourt rifled in at the far post to silence the fans.

Nkunku forced a superb one-handed save from Werder’s Jiri Pavlenka in the 77th but the keeper was beaten when Nkunku crossed into the box and Orban rose high to power in his header.

The France international then cut into the box deep in stoppage time to set up Szoboszlai for the winner.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment