They needed a response. They got one
On Wednesday, Leipzig shipped four goals in Como in their Champions League opener. This afternoon, the Red Bull Arena saw the complete opposite.
Leipzig 5, Hamburg 0.
Thierno Gomis got it rolling in the 17th minute. Antonio Nusa doubled the lead on 28. By the break it was already done, and Hamburg never got a foothold.
Try it for $0.99.
Five minutes that broke Hamburg
The brutal spell came after the hour. Willi Orbán made it 3-0 on 72 minutes. Christopher Nkunku followed two minutes later. Rômulo added the fifth on 77.
Three goals in five minutes.
That is when a team folds. Hamburg had spent an hour 2-0 down and hanging on as best they could, and then the whole thing just went. You can’t explain a stretch like that with tactics alone. At some point the legs go and the head goes with them.
A centre-back, a forward, a sub. Leipzig scored through the lot.
One good afternoon is not a season
A home hammering does not erase a rotten night in Europe. It does get a side back on its feet, and on a Sunday in September that is sometimes all you can ask for.
Leipzig needed this. The real question is whether they can produce that level against anyone other than a team already in trouble. That answer comes in midweek, not today.
For Hamburg, the trip to Saxony will leave a mark. Five conceded, none scored, a second half to forget. They will need to sort it out in the dressing room before it turns into a pattern.
Discover the latest football news on our site and app mathodds!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply