2-1 friendly loss to Montpellier
RB Leipzig lose after going ahead against Montpellier HSC | 650 fans in attendance at Cottaweg for four 30-minute quarters of football | Alexander Sørloth gives the Red Bulls the lead (10’) | Beni Makouana levels (94’) before Sepe Wahi doubles for the guests late on (117’) | Saracchi injury overshadows friendly game
Defeat in the second friendly of pre-season! RB Leipzig suffered a narrow defeat in an intense 120-minute-long game against Montpellier HSC. Alexander Sørloth gave RBL the lead early on, and Christopher Nkunku had the chance to double the score but was denied by Montepellier goalkeeper Jonas Omlin after a brilliant Angelino ball. Omlin was on hand again to deny Amadou Haidara’s header in the 45th minute.
After head coach Jesse Marsch made seven changes to the RBL team at half time, the game developed into a well-fought and balanced contest. Despite a 1-0 lead for much of the game, everything changed in the final quarter, with Marsch’s side conceding twice in the final 30-minute period. Montpellier attacker Beni Makouana found the back of the net in the 94th minute, before Sepe Wahi was on target in the 117th to succumb the Red Bulls to defeat after an intense 120 minutes.
RB Leipzig vs. HSC Montpellier 1-2
Goals: Alexander Sørloth (10'), Beni Makouana (94'), Sepe Wahi (117')
Line-up
First half: Martínez, Angelino, Orban (53' Klefisch), Bonnah, Mukiele, Haidara, Adams, Kampl, Nkunku, Hwang (25' Lookman), Sørloth
Second half: Martínez (90' Tschauner), Wosz, Klefisch, Bonnah, Saracchi (90' Krasucki), Samardžić, Raebiger, Novoa, Kostka, Lookman, Ohio
Watch the full match here:
Jesse Marsch on the game:
- "First of all, my thoughts are with Marcelo Saracchi, whose injury was a bit of a shock. Hee-chan Hwang's injury was also a dampener. Aside from that, I thought our first 60 minutes were really strong. We worked well with and against the ball. We were dangerous at set pieces and controlled the opposition throughout the first 60 minutes.
In the last game against AZ Alkmaar, our young players ended up playing a little better than the first team, whereas today, given the circumstances, we saw the opposite. But that’s totally fine. We now have three intense weeks of pre-season under our belts and the youth players in particular have learnt a lot and worked really hard. It makes me proud."