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Demichelis' Gamble Pays Off As Leipzig Crush Elversberg 4-0
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- Demichelis' Gamble Pays Off As Leipzig Crush Elversberg 4-0
(IMAGO / Eibner)
RB Leipzig's remarkable home record continues. Four Bundesliga matches at the Red Bull Arena: four victories, 18 goals scored, and not a single goal conceded.
Martín Demichelis' side extended their perfect home run with an emphatic 4-0 victory over SV Elversberg on Saturday, delivering exactly the response needed after heavy defeats against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
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Tidiam Gomis opened the scoring before Rômulo struck twice, while Christoph Baumgartner celebrated his return from a lengthy injury absence with an emotional goal.
Although Leipzig struggled in the opening 45 minutes, a dominant second-half performance ensured that their extraordinary home record remained intact.
Eight Changes But A Difficult First Half
Demichelis made eight changes to the starting eleven that lost 4-1 against Real Madrid, with only Willi Orbán, Neil El Aynaoui and Antonio Nusa retaining their places.
Ørjan Nyland replaced Maarten Vandevoordt in goal, while several regular starters were rested following a demanding week.
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However, Die Roten Bullen struggled to find their rhythm before the interval.
Elversberg, who arrived in sixth place after an impressive start to their debut Bundesliga campaign, pressed aggressively and caused problems for the hosts.
David Mokwa came close to opening the scoring in the 37th minute, forcing Nyland into an excellent save from distance.
Leipzig's best attacking moments came through Nusa, but neither side managed to break the deadlock before half-time.
Nusa Inspires Leipzig's Second-Half Explosion
Demichelis responded by introducing Rômulo for Andrija Maksimović at half-time, a decision that would prove decisive.
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Just three minutes after the restart, Nusa produced an excellent run before finding Gomis, who finished with his left foot to put the Red Bulls ahead.
The goal completely changed the momentum.
In the 66th minute, Nusa delivered another outstanding pass, this time releasing Rômulo, who held off his defender before finishing through goalkeeper Nicolas Kristof's legs.
With two assists, the Norwegian winger was at the heart of Leipzig's attacking improvement and deservedly received the Bundesliga's Man of the Match award.
It was precisely the kind of performance Demichelis needed from one of his most talented attacking players after a difficult week.
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Baumgartner's Emotional Moment And Rômulo's Double
The afternoon became even more special when Christoph Baumgartner entered the pitch in the 72nd minute.
After spending 158 days on the sidelines, the Austrian had only recently returned to action against Real Madrid, where he assisted Leipzig's consolation goal.
Against Elversberg, he went one better.
In the 84th minute, Baumgartner rose to meet Brajan Gruda's cross and headed home the club's third goal, marking his return to the Red Bull Arena in the best possible way.
There was still time for another memorable moment.
In the fourth minute of stoppage time, debutant Abdoul Koné produced a clever backheel assist for Rômulo, who completed his brace from close range.
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The Brazilian's two goals after coming off the bench highlighted the attacking depth available to Demichelis.
Leipzig's Home Fortress Remains Untouched
Before Saturday's match, Leipzig had already established an extraordinary Bundesliga home record: three victories, 14 goals scored, and zero conceded.
Elversberg arrived hoping to become the first league opponent to break that defensive record, but despite a promising first half, the promoted side ultimately suffered the same fate as Leipzig's previous visitors.
Four matches have now produced four victories, with Leipzig averaging an astonishing 4.5 goals per home game.
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Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that three different goalkeepers have contributed to keeping that defensive record intact, with Nyland preserving another clean sheet on Saturday.
The contrast with Leipzig's recent away performances remains striking.
After conceding ten goals against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, Demichelis' side returned home and immediately rediscovered their defensive discipline.
The victory also means the Red Bulls have collected twelve points from their four home fixtures alone, making the Red Bull Arena an increasingly important foundation for their top 4 ambitions.
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The next challenge is translating that dominance into performances away from home, starting with their upcoming fixtures against Rot-Weiss Essen in the DFB-Pokal and Schalke in the Bundesliga.
For now, one statistic tells the story better than anything else: four home games, four wins, 18 goals scored, and none conceded.
