RB Leipzig ended their run of bad form with a 2-0 victory over Union Berlin, thanks in part to the return of veterans Peter Gulacsi and Willi Orban. The win came after three consecutive defeats and brought Leipzig within one point of Borussia Dortmund and fourth place in the Bundesliga. Union Berlin, who had recently scored seven points from four games, remain in 15th place.
Lois Openda opened the scoring for Leipzig in front of 44,032 spectators, with Benjamin Sesko increasing their lead with a second goal. Union captain Christopher Trimmel was sent off with a red card for a hard tackle on David Raum. This was Union Berlin’s second game without their head coach, Nenad Bjelica, who is serving a suspension for physically assaulting Munich’s Leroy Sané.
After a disappointing 2-5 loss to Stuttgart, Leipzig made five changes to their line-up, bringing back Gulacsi and Orban. Gulacsi made his first start in 491 days, while Orban returned after a 154-day injury break.
Despite the heavy rain, Leipzig dominated the game from the beginning. Their first goal came from Openda, who shot from an acute angle to beat Union’s goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow. The match was briefly interrupted when Union fans protested against the German Football League’s investor deal by throwing small balls onto the pitch.
Union began to find their footing towards the end of the first half, but Leipzig continued their momentum after the break with Sesko’s second goal. Despite a late push from Union, Leipzig held on for their first clean sheet since October 28, 2023.
