RB Leipzig kickstarted their Champions League campaign with a win against Swiss side Young Boys. Mohamed Simakan opened the scoring for the Bundesliga club, but were pegged back when Meschak Elia caught Janis Blaswich off guard. Xaver Schlager put Leipzig back in the lead 15 minutes from time and from then on, Young Boys struggled to create.
Although coming out of the break level, RB Leipzig showcased their quality and dominated much of the second-half. After Schlager gave the visitors the lead, Benjamin Šeško then put the icing on the cake with a third goal for Leipzig in stoppage time, his third in Leipzig colours this season.
RB Leipzig Player Ratings
Janis Blaswich, 5
Benjamin Henrichs, 8 – In the absence of Lukas Klostermann, Henrichs has established himself as a key player for RB Leipzig at right-back. Always looks to progress the ball, confident in possession and showcased excellent crossing. Strong defensively, won 9 of his 11 ground duels, registered 4 clearances and interceptions, and was successful with 5 tackles.
Mohamed Simakan, 7 – With the departure of Josko Gvardiol to Manchester City, the Frenchman is seeing more playing time, and continues to develop. Opened the scoring after three minutes for RB Leipzig. Showcased his explosive pace as a central-defender to make a recovery run late on to deny Young Boys an opportunity. Played a superb ball to assist Benjamin Šeško for RB Leipzig’s third of the evening.
Castello Lukeba, 6
David Raum, 6
Xaver Schlager, 7
Kevin Kampl, 8 – A commanding performance from the experienced midfielder. Dictated tempo throughout and remained level headed. Won 5 out of 7 ground duels, and also completed 4 key passes. A key player for Leipzig on the night.
Xavi Simons, 7
Emil Forsberg, 6
Lois Openda, 6 – The Belgian has impressed since his arrival from Lens, but struggled tonight. Playing on an artificial surface, it’s as though the ball just got away from the forward.
Yussuf Poulsen, 6
Others: Benjamin Šeško (7), Christoph Baumgartner (-), Christopher Lenz (-)
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
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