A thrilling matchday 1 encounter, but no points for Die Roten Bullen. RB Leipzig were beaten 3-2 at home to FC Salzburg in their UEFA Europa League opening group fixture. The spectacle was witnessed by 24,057 fans at the RB Arena.
Both teams started with intent, with Ralf Rangnick's men having the better of the chances in the opening 15 minutes. But two momentary lapses in concentration were punished clinically by the visitors, as Munas Dabbur (20') and Amadou Haidara (22') left Leipzig stunned.
The coach reacted with a triple substitution at half time, bringing on Diego Demme, Yussuf Poulsen and Marcel Halstenberg, who made his first appearance in nine months. Salzburg remained in control for much of the second half and almost added a third when Dabbur's strike rattled the upright (55').
Another defensive mistake went punished in the 70th minute, but this time it was Konrad Laimer pulling one back for Leipzig to restore hope of rescuing something from the game. As the clock ticked towards full time, a second Leipzig goal looked more and more likely and it finally fell in the 83rd minute when Yussuf Poulsen headed home from close range.
The comeback just wasn't meant to be, however, as Leipzig were caught on the break and punished by substitute Fredrik Gulbrandsen in the 89th minute.
Match statistics
Team news

2-3
20th September
