Christopher Nkunku back among the goals as RB Leipzig return to winning ways
On an already memorable afternoon for RB Leipzig fans, the return of Christopher Nkunku's famed balloon celebration was truly the cherry on top of the cake.
The Frenchman scored his side's fourth goal in Sunday's 5-0 win against Hamburg - his first since returning to Saxony this summer on loan.
Having already struck up an effective partnership with Antonio Nusa, Nkunku and his team-mates will hope the Matchday 3 triumph is a sign of better things to come after recent back-to-back defeats to Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga and Como in the UEFA Champions League.
Watch: Leipzig 5-0 Hamburg - highlights
Certainly, Nkunku will do very well to meet the high standards he set during his first spell in the Bundesliga. His three-year stint at Leipzig, between 2019 and 2023, saw the forward net 70 goals in 173 games, helping the club win back-to-back DFB Cup titles in the process.
In fact, in both cup finals (2021/22 & 2022/23), Nkunku scored. He even found the back of the net in the 2022 penalty shoot-out against Freiburg. Having helped take the club to dizzying new heights, he joined Chelsea in the summer of 2023, but with regular game time hard to come by, a permanent move to AC Milan materialised only two years later.
After a full season in Italy, Nkunku opted to return on loan to the club where he had enjoyed his best football - Leipzig. Despite only starting once in the Bundesliga so far this season – against Bremen last weekend – he has already impressed as a substitute. The 28-year-old grabbed an assist against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 1, and did the very same away at Como.
His introduction against Hamburg on Sunday came slightly earlier than against Gladbach, as he replaced the unfortunate Assan Ouédraogo – who appeared to have picked up an injury – just after the half-hour mark.
In the second half, with the game opening up, Nkunku finally had an opportunity to open his goalscoring account for the season. After being teed up by Nusa, he produced a clinical finish to beat a helpless Daniel Heuer Fernandes in the Hamburg goal.
Watch: Nusa on 'fun' Hamburg win
While Nkunku's finish was an ominous sign of things to come, Leipzig's standout performer was the aforementioned Nusa, who scooped the Man of the Match award.
Nusa was almost unstoppable on the left side, scoring Leipzig's second goal before picking up a pair of precision assists. The 21-year-old said: "You know, when you win 5-0, it's fun, of course. We made it a great afternoon for the club and for the fans, so I'm happy about that."
In the absence of Yan Diomande, who joined Real Madrid from Leipzig last month, Nusa could become his side's talisman this season - although he has very stiff competition in the form of new team-mate Nkunku.
Next up for Leipzig's star duo is a trip to Bayer Leverkusen, where they will have the chance to repeat their Matchday 3 heroics against a fellow top four rival.
