After the turbulent football afternoon in Augsburg, Marco Rose boarded the plane back to Leipzig, at least somewhat satisfied.
“It’s just important that we got a point,” said the RB Leipzig coach after a 3: 3 (0: 1), in which the cup winner looked like the loser until shortly before the final phase. “It’s not so easy to classify the game that happened there.”
Before the highlight game against the royals around star striker Karim Benzema, his team just averted a serious mood dampener. “The sticking point,” admitted Rose’s former Dortmund coach colleague, Augsburg coach Einrico Maassen, was that Iago was sent off. The Brazilian saw first yellow and then yellow-red in a record-breaking time of just a few seconds.
No “extraordinary punishment” for Iago
Iago (25) does not have to fear an “extraordinary punishment”, said his coach. “He apologized to the team. He knows what happened,” Maassen said. There are penalties for such cases. But that stays internal. Attacker Florian Niederlechner thought the dismissal was “stupid, stupid. You have to address that internally, that’s the only reason why we’re giving the game away.”
André Silva (73rd minute), Christopher Nkunku (89th) and Hugo Novoa (90th) scored in a game that was almost lost. That was at times a “ride on the razor blade”, said Maassen, who was allowed to cheer three times before the three effective hits. Mergim Berisha (34th minute / penalty), Ermedin Demirovic (51st) and Ruben Vargas (64th) made the Swabians look like the deserved winner for a long time. In the intensive exchange of numerous protagonists after the final whistle on the pitch, Maassen saw the yellow card.
The 38-year-old couldn’t really get used to the point win against the Champions League participant, so Rose only tried a gentle congratulation. “Congratulations on developing this awkward style of play – for every team that meets you,” said Rose to Maassen. Six goals are “great for all spectators,” said former Gladbach and Dortmund coach Rose. “I don’t know if I’ve experienced that so often, after 0: 3 still 3: 3.”
FCA is breathing hard – RB has to play against Real
After an exhausting week with the cup defeat against FC Bayern, the heavily strained FCA can now catch their breath. RB continues on Tuesday (9 p.m.) against Real with the fight for a round of 16 ticket in Europe’s best league.
“We can take with us that we can come back. Otherwise it will be a completely different game,” said Rose. Leipzig is currently on course as second in the group. But in order to have a chance against Real, a significant increase is needed. Substitutes Nkunku (hand surgery) and Amadou Haidara (muscular problems), who made a difference in the last half hour, can give hope. And of course morale after a 3-0 deficit. Dani Olmo regained a few minutes 49 days after suffering a knee ligament injury.
After the game and three goals, Berisha crouched on the ground in the stadium catacombs with his former Salzburg team-mate and current Leipzig player Dominik Szoboszlai. After his injury-related break on Wednesday, the U21 European champion Berisha acted powerfully in the tackles and as a dangerous striker in the cup against Bayern. Three weeks before the World Cup nomination, he ensured that his name would continue to be played for the tournament candidates. He didn’t want to say anything about it himself.
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