RBL defeat Horsens 2-1
RB Leipzig come from behind to win 2-1 in final friendly of the year | Jacobsen with early opener for the visitors | Goals from Haidara and Henrichs turn the game for 2-1 win
RB Leipzig were victorious in their final game of the calendar year. The Red Bulls side turned around a deficit to win 2-1 against Danish top flight side AC Horsens in front of 455 fans at Cottaweg.
Marco Rose named U19 player Daniel Ihendu in the starting XI, as well as fellow youth product Sanoussy Ba, who recently signed his first professional contract with the club. Willi Orban and Janis Blaswich were both rested, while Marcel Halstenberg (knee) and Hugo Novoa (eye operation) were also out.
Match summary:
In winter temperatures in Leipzig, things did not get off to a good start for Marco Rose’s side when the visitors capitalised on a mistake by goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland to open the scoring in the sixth minute. Horsen forward Anders Jacobsen intercepted a pass from the goalkeeper before cutting in and powering home to give his side the lead.
RBL were not shaken by the goal and took control of the game. Emil Forsberg (21’) and Dominik Szoboszlai (27’) had efforts from range to level the game but nothing came of the chances. The scores were level again on 36 minutes when some good interplay in midfield saw Amadou Haidara through on goal. The midfielder kept his composure to chip over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Re-watch the game on YouTube
The second half was a similar picture as Rose’s side continued to dominate the play, with the bulk of their scoring chances coming from the flanks. A nice ball from Benjamin Henrichs saw Emil Forsberg through one-on-one with the goalkeeper in the 62nd minute, but defender Thomas Santos got back well to defend. Just seconds later, Leipzig were dangerous again but Kevin Kampl’s shot went just over the bar.
Around a quarter of an hour before full time, Leipzig upped the pressure and saw their efforts pay off. Henrichs cut onto his left foot on the edge of the area and his shot deflected off Alexander Ludwig and past the goalkeeper in the 74th minute to give RBL a 2-1 victory.
Match facts:
RB Leipzig:
Nyland - Simakan, Haidara (88' Eduardo), Forsberg (88' Schierack), Szoboszlai, Schlager, Ba, Laimer (72' Voigt), Henrichs, Kampl (C, 85' Osawe), Ihendu (83' Hennig)
AC Horsens:
Bobjerg - Kilerich, Jacobsen, Gemmer (58' Opondo), Lassen, Santos, Gomez, Kruse, Musonda (58' Makeniok), Samson (70' Ludwig), Just
Referee:
Steven Greif
Goals:
0-1 Jacobsen (6'), 1-1 Haidara (36') 2-1 Henrichs (74')
Attendance:
455, RBL Training Center (Leipzig)
Coach Marco Rose nach der Partie:
- "Once again, we brought a lot of energy out onto the pitch. It was a good test for us against a good team. We rewarded ourselves with the result and I was very pleased with a lot of things again.
I have a good feeling as we go into the winter break. The boys have definitely earned themselves a few days off, especially after the three weeks of good and hard work. However, it's important that we pick up where we left off in January and continue everything that we've done well recently, including the energy, intensity, willingness and togetherness that we've demonstrated. At the same time, we have some areas where we can improve and we'll work on those together."