Dominant RB Leipzig dismantle Augsburg
Brajan Gruda set up two goals and tormented the Augsburg defence all afternoon as RB Leipzig came from behind to win 5-2 at Red Bull Arena.
Goals: 0-1 Kade 1’, 1-1 Banzuzi 34’ (assist: Gruda), 2-1 Nkunku 35’ (assist: Gruda), 3-1 Raum 45’+1’, 4-1 Rômulo 60’ (assist: Nkunku), 5-1 Baumgartner 66’ (assist: Nusa), 5-2 Ogundu 90’+3’ (assist: Rieder)
Leipzig came into the Matchday 9 fixture having won all four of their home league matches this season without conceding, while Augsburg arrived without a win in their last six Bundesliga outings.
Head coach Martín Demichelis made two changes from the midweek Champions League defeat to Manchester City, with Christopher Nkunku and Tidiam Gomis replacing Christoph Baumgartner and Antonio Nusa in the starting eleven. Augsburg's Manuel Baum made one change, bringing in Rodrigo Ribeiro for Michael Gregoritsch up front.
Augsburg stunned the hosts inside the opening minute. A poor header from Willi Orbán fell into the path of Arijon Ibrahimović, whose shot was saved by Maarten Vandevoordt, but Anton Kade reacted fastest to tuck away the rebound and give the visitors the lead.
Leipzig responded well, taking control of the game before eventually finding an equaliser through Ezechiel Banzuzi. Brajan Gruda beat three Augsburg defenders down the left before teeing up Banzuzi, who drilled a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
A minute later, more Gruda magic led to Leipzig taking the lead as he ripped through the Augsburg defence before dinking a ball into the box for Nkunku to volley home.
Just before the break, David Raum curled home a stunning free-kick via the post to make it 3-1 at half-time.
Augsburg nearly pulled one back shortly after the interval as Vandevoordt made a strong stop to deny Kade.
On the hour mark, Leipzig made Augsburg pay once more as a flowing move involving Nkunku and Raum ended with Rômulo poking home from close range.
Leipzig then made a triple substitution, sending on Nusa, Baumgartner and Benjamin Henrichs and within a minute of arriving, the substitutes combined for a fifth goal, as Nusa fed Baumgartner, who finished calmly to put the hosts 5:1 up.
With the game coming to a close, Uchenna Ogundu was fed through by Fabian Rieder before tucking away a composed finish for a late consolation goal.
Man of the Match: Brajan Gruda
Gruda was directly involved in two of Leipzig's goals, setting up Banzuzi and Nkunku within the space of a minute in the first half. He delivered five shot-creating passes over the course of the game, the most of any player on the pitch, without registering a shot himself. Gruda also won 17 of his challenges, the most of any Leipzig player. He received 38 per cent of the Man of the Match votes for his performance.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: RB Leipzig 2.53 - Augsburg 1.98
Fastest player: Anton Kade (Augsburg), 33.76 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-1 by Ezechiel Banzuzi (Leipzig), 5 per cent
Pass efficiency: Neil El Aynaoui (Leipzig), +2.16
Fantasy Heroes: David Raum (Leipzig, 362 Points), Brajan Gruda (Leipzig, 316 Points), Christopher Nkunku (Leipzig, 272 Points)
