Bundesliga: Leipzig rescued by VAR then score twice in Hoffenheim win
Dani Olmo's brace secured the win for Julian Nagelsmann's RB Leipzig as it moved to within a point of Borussia Dortmund, which has a game in hand.
Published : Jun 13, 2020 09:14 IST
Third-placed RB Leipzig scored two quickfire goals through Dani Olmo immediately after Hoffenheim had a penalty award overturned by VAR in a remarkable opening 12 minutes on the way to a 2-0 win on the road in the Bundesliga on Friday.
The victory gave Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann a happy first return to the club where he began his coaching career as a 28-year-old and ensured an unhappy start for Hoffenheim's unorthodox five-man coaching team who replaced Alfred Schreuder after his sacking on Tuesday.
After a bright start, seventh-placed Hoffenheim were awarded a penalty when Munas Dabbur was upended by Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi in the sixth minute.
The ball was on the spot and Dabbur was waiting to take the spot kick when it was revoked for handball after a VAR review which took nearly two minutes.
Leipzig then delivered two knockout blows when Olmo finished off a counter-attack by sidefooting the visitor ahead in the ninth minute and the Spaniard struck again two minutes later from a similar position.
Dabbur headed against the bar and Gulacsi made a superb block from Christoph Baumgartner as valiant Hoffenheim kept pushing forward, while Leipzig forward Timo Werner was put clean through but side-footed over just before halftime.
Olmo missed the chance of a hat-trick when he sidefooted wide in the 65th minute and Christopher Nkunku rattled the post as Leipzig missed a flurry of chances in the second half.