RB Leipzig’s perfect home streak in the Champions League? Gone. Manchester City rolled into town Wednesday and ended it, with Erling Haaland delivering the 78th-minute dagger that handed the visitors three points.
The Battle at Red Bull Arena
It was a wild one at Red Bull Arena, seriously. Martin Demichelis’ Man City squad had to claw back *twice* to get the win, showing exactly why they’re the defending champions. Leipzig’s fullback Ridle Baku laid it out plain after the game, telling DAZN, “We really wanted to win this home game today.” And why wouldn’t they? They’d been on such a hot run at home, racking up victory after victory. Baku admitted, “We wanted to build on that today.” But he also kept it real about what it takes against a team like City. He said, “against an opponent like that, it really comes down to fine margins. We weren’t 100 % there in those moments, and we didn’t defend properly.” Ouch. Still, he saw the bigger picture, calling it a “good team performance that we can build on.” Gotta respect that mindset after a tough loss.
Baku’s Personal Best Amidst the Loss
Talk about mixed emotions for Baku himself. This dude is having his *best goalscoring season* in Leipzig colors right now. Think about that: even with only 15 minutes played in the last three Bundesliga matches, he’s lighting it up when he gets the chance. Wednesday night, he bagged his 30th goal in professional football, a huge personal milestone. Yeah, Gigi Donnarumma had a bit of a howler that helped it along, but a goal is a goal, right? Baku shared his thoughts on it, saying, “It’s always good when you can perform and get the opportunity to play. I’m obviously very happy about the goal.” But then the team-first mentality kicks in, “But the team’s performance is more important to me personally. I would rather have had the three points today.” You gotta love a player who cares more about the W than his own stats, even when he’s hitting career highs.
What’s Next for Leipzig
So where does Leipzig go from here? This loss hurts, no doubt, especially after winning three games in a row before running into City. They’ve only snagged three points from four Champions League matches so far. Not ideal, but the good news? Their remaining four games are all against teams currently outside the top 16. That’s a huge opportunity to stack up some wins and improve that record. Baku’s still got that confidence, praising Leipzig’s “confident display” against the 2022/23 Champions League winners. He’s staying positive, too, adding, “Overall I’m really, really pleased with the performance. We definitely still have several Champions League games that we can win. As I said, there were a lot of positive things that we showed on the pitch today. Now it’s simply about continuing to produce those things consistently.” It’s all about consistency, right? Up next, they’ve got an out-of-form Augsburg side coming to Red Bull Arena on Saturday, right before the international break. Baku’s already focused: “On Saturday, at home against Augsburg, we can do better and hopefully pick up the next three points.” They need to make sure that home-field magic is back for Augsburg, big time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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