While Christopher Nkunku grabbed the headlines during RB Leipzig’s recent revival, Konrad Laimer was one of the under-the-radar players. That was until his Man of the Day performance against Borussia Dortmund…
Dortmund’s 4-1 humiliation of title hopefuls was Leipzig’s eighth league victory in 11 games since the start of the year and their only loss in that time came in the form of a thrilling 3-2 loss to leaders Bayern Munich.
Nkunku has netted nine goals and six assists in 2022 and the Frenchman’s form has been imperious since his reorientation as a striker.
But even Nkunku – with his two assists and a goal – was slightly overshadowed at Signal Iduna Park by Laimer, who scored each of his side’s first two goals before scoring Nkunku for the third to wrap up the win after less than a minute. one hour. .
Look: Dortmund 1-4 Leipzig – in 60 seconds!
“It’s good,” said a humble Laimer after the game. “You can be proud of yourself when you win 4-1 here, take the three points and give that kind of performance, because it’s not easy to win here.
“It’s very hard [to win here]. We did well for long stretches and we’re just happy to have taken the three points.”
Those three points are crucial in Leipzig’s bid for a top-four finish, earning them a three-point gap over Freiburg in fifth and keeping Die Roten Bullen in a Bayer Leverkusen win in the third.
It’s quite a turnaround for a Leipzig side who started the new calendar year outside the top half in 10th place, and Laimer’s inspired win over Dortmund could prove invigorating for the rest of this season and beyond. -of the.
Leipzig take on Atalanta in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals this week and meet European rivals Hoffenheim and Leverkusen either side of the second leg with the Italians, as well as a DFB Cup semi-final at dispute – all in April. .
And Laimer believes victory over Dortmund – and their dominating manner – can prove reaffirming for the team as Leipzig look to secure Champions League football next season, and end this one with the first major trophy. of his story: “This may give a boost of confidence for the rest of April as we still have important tasks ahead of us.”
As Leipzig start the season with hopes of winning the Bundesliga title, the team have at least shown what they are capable of since Domenico Tedesco took over. And like Laimer and Nkunku, they have very talented footballers driving them forward.
Once again things are looking bright at the Red Bull Arena.
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