Leipzig (Germany) (AFP)
With a brace from their young Spaniard Angelino, RB Leipzig easily dominated Turkish champions Basaksehir 2-0, for their return to the Champions League after the lost semi-final against Paris in August.
In front of 999 spectators, who tried to set the mood in the Red Bull Arena, Leipzig closed the match in 20 minutes and took the lead of an extremely tough Group H, where Manchester United went to win 2-1 in Paris.
Every point will be crucial, and refueling against Basaksehir, the weakest team in the group, is likely a prerequisite for qualifying.
Without his Malian international Amadou Haidara, positive for the coronavirus, the current leader of the Bundesliga took the Stambouliotes by the throat at the start of the match, beaten in duels and tactically overwhelmed, to lead 2-0 after 20 minutes of play.
With the departures of Timo Werner and Patrik Schick, Leipzig lost a lot of its impact force in the axis, but Julian Nagelsmann has adapted: the French international hope Nordi Mukiele and the Spaniard Angelino, the lane players of his 3-4-3, have taken on a new importance in the offensive animation.
Angelino, a 23-year-old left-back on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season, was the man of the match on Tuesday, scoring two goals in a true center-forward style.
First at the opening of the scoring on the reception of a deep ball back to the goal, and perfect pivot shot (1-0, 15th).
Then doubled with an instant recovery in the area, receiving a superb pass to a touch of the ball from Christopher Nkunku (2-0, 20th), another French international hope.
At 2-0, the game leveled off but Leipzig retained control.
The Turkish champions overall suffered heavily from RB's counter-pressing, and made a few gross recovery mistakes, one of which led to the second goal.
In the end, Basaksehir only put three shots on target in the game, without much danger for goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, against seven for Leipzig.
© 2020 AFP