Bundesliga
Benjamin Šeško was on target as RB Leipzig broke their UEFA Champions League duck for the season with victory over defending Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon.
RB Leipzig 2-1 Sporting Lisbon
Goals: 1-0 Šeško 19' (assist: Raum), 1-1 Gyökeres 75' (assist: Bragança), 2-1 Poulsen 78' (assist: Baumgartner)
Although pointless six games into the eight-fixture league phase and out of the competition, Leipzig acquitted themselves with the professionalism befitting a team that tore up the script to reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2019/20. After riding an early storm, Leipzig tested the waters with a shot from Löis Openda, before Šeško applied a fine finish to David Raum's cross for the opener. Raum thought he'd added a spectacular second with over 30 minutes gone, but his effort from outside the area was ruled out for an offside against Openda following a VAR review. Lisbon ended the half strongly, albeit without testing Maarten Vandevoordt in the Leipzig goal.
Leipzig looked to press home their advantage after the restart as Xavi blazed off target after Franco Israel had thwarted Openda. Amadou Haidara then struck the inside of the upright, before Sporting passed up a handful of chances of their own, prompting the introduction of top scorer Viktor Gyökeres. The former St. Pauli striker duly levelled for the visitors, but parity lasted barely three minutes. Christoph Baumgartner fed substitute Yussuf Poulsen, who lost his balance but kept his nerve to finish past the goalkeeper after his initial effort had been blocked. Leipzig saw out the win on a morale-boosting night at the Red Bull Arena, ahead of the visit of reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen this weekend.
Teams
Leipzig: Vandevoordt - Geertruida, Orban (c), Bitshiabu, Raum (Klostermann 61') - Seiwald, Haidara (Kampl 70') - Xavi (Nusa 62'), Baumgartner (Vermeeren 85') - Openda (Poulsen 61'), Šeško
Unused subs: Gulácsi, Dickes, Elmas, Gebel
Out: Baku (ineligible), Henrichs (Achilles tendon), Lukeba (hamstring), Ouédraogo (groin), Silva (calf), Schlager (knee)
Coach: Marco Rose
Sporting: Israel - Fresneda (Esgaio 76'), Diomande, St. Juste (Inácio 29'), Araújo - Catamo (Bragança 55'), Debast (Morita 55'), Hjulmand (c), Quenda - Trincão, Harder (Gyökeres 55')
Unused subs: Kovačević, Diogo Pinto, Brito, Simões, Santos, Couto, Nel
Out: Gonçalves (thigh), Quaresma (muscular), Reis (thigh)
Coach: Rui Borges
As it happened!
Gonçalo Inácio misses with a free header and that should be that.
The Leipzig captain sees yellow for a foul on Bragança.
Gyökeres can't force home one more equaliser and the Red Bulls survive. Should things stay like this, it will be a big morale booster for Leipzig ahead of this weekend's big Bundesliga clash against champions Bayer Leverkusen.
He may not be on the pitch anymore, but that doesn't prevent David Raum from seeing a yellow card for protesting from the bench.
Scenes in Saxony! Leipzig go on the attack immediately after going behind. Baumgartner plays a neat pass through for Poulsen, who looks to lift the ball over the advancing Israel. The shot connects with the keeper and Poulsen follows through, losing his balance before knocking home!
It's that man Gyökeres who marks the difference for his team once again. The substitute accepts a pass and runs at Orbán before going for a high left-footed effort towards the near post. The shot has too much power for Vandevoordt, who can only push the ball into the net.
It's been one of those nights for the visitors as Araújo blasts off target from way out amid collective frustration.
Fresneda spends an age over a free kick just outside the Leipzig box. He eventually smashes his set-piece into the Leipzig wall.
It's Marco Rose's time for a triple swap now, with the Leipzig native throwing Poulsen, Nusa and Klostermann into the mix.
Sporting are wayward with yet another shot, Hjulmand this time guilty of a miss. It wasn't too far wide of the upright, however.
The visitors ring the changes and Viktor Gyökeres is among them. The Swede is on looking to add to his five Champions League goals this term.
Haidara hits the inside of the post for Leipzig but Openda committed a free inside the box which means haidara's effort wouldn't have counted had it gone in.
Openda takes a touch inside the area before the Sporting goalkeeper lands at the Belgian's feet to deflect out. Xavi pounces on the loose ball and has the goal at his mercy, only to blast over. Was Openda offside there? Possibly.
Sporting kick off the second half.
Debast has a pop at goal which takes a deflection and goes over. This has been a frustrating evening so far for the visitors.
Fresneda lines one up as the ball rolls into his path and he smashes goalwards, only for Raum to get a crucial block in.
Harder fancies his chances from distance again but his effort hits Orbán and flashes narrowly off target. From the resulting corner, Xavi hoiks an attempted clearance into the side-netting.
What a goal this would have been! Baumgartner sends a looping pass from right to left and Raum watches it all the way. The 26-year-old traps the ball with his left before poking a wonderful finish in at the far corner. After the game restarts, plays is halted as VAR spots a Loïs Openda offside in the build-up.
The Austrian slides in inside the Leipzig box to make a superb tackle on Araújo, who was just about to pull the trigger.
Xavi gets forward before unleashing a powerful shot, which is blocked.
The Germany international full-back has three Bundesliga assists this season and he now has a first in the Champions League in 2024/25.
This is a smart opener from the home team. Xavi feeds Raum, who plays the perfect pass in for Šeško, the Slovenian sliding in to connect and send the ball into the net from close range.
The Belgian forward is ahead of his marker as Šeško dinks a pass over the top for his teammates to chase. Openda drills his finish wide, not that it would have counted.
The Leipzig coach is off his bench and applauding his players as he tries to encourage them to up their efforts here. Not the best of starts by Die Roten Bullen.
The Danish U21 forward is pretty active in these early stages and he has one more try with a boot at goal that fizzes over the crossbar.
It's time for Leipzig's first foray forward and it's Benjamin Šeško who has a view of goal, yet his effort is mis-hit and dribbles wide.
Conrad Harder has had a couple of efforts at goal for the visitors, the first flying off target and the second - a low shot - gathered by Maarten Vandevoordt.
We're underway in Leipzig ...
It's that time of the evening when the famous tune sounds out and the camera pans along both sets of players. We're almost at kick-off.
The home side may no longer harbour any hopes of advancing in the Champions League but that hasn't stopped their fans coming out in force to see their heroes. There is tremendous noice inside the Red Bull Arena as the stadium announcer goes through the line-ups.
Both sides are being put through their paces at the Red Bull Arena, which is filling nicely on a chilly evening in Saxony.
Vandevoordt - Geertruida, Orban (c), Bitshiabu, Raum – Seiwald, Haidara – Xavi, Baumgartner - Openda, Šeško
Gulácsi, Dickes, Elmas, Nusa, Poulsen, Klostermann, Vermeeren, Kampl, Gebel
Israel - Fresneda, Diomande, St. Juste, Araújo – Catamo, Debast, Hjulmand (c), Quenda – Trincão, Harder
Kovačević, Diogo Pinto, Morita, Gyökeres, Bragança,Inácio, Esgaio, Brito, Simões, Santos, Couto, Nel