Dhe players of RB Leipzig found it difficult to decide: first form a circle or celebrate with the fans straight away? They had less trouble with the game itself, after the 4-0 (2-0) win at second division club Hannover 96 on Wednesday evening, the favorites are in the semi-finals of the DFB Cup. After a strong performance, the only remaining top team in the competition is only two wins away from winning the first title in the club’s young history.
“We play much calmer. Also a bit more relaxed. We have this maturity in our game again,” said Kevin Kampl. “We were totally dominant. We are absolutely deserved in the semifinals.” The team knows “what a great feeling it is in the final, we want to make history,” added the 31-year-old. The opponent congratulated fairly. “Of course we are disappointed, you just have to say that Leipzig is good,” said Hanover coach Christoph Dabrowski at Sport1.
Christopher Nkunku scored in front of 25,000 spectators in the 17th and 22nd minute for the fourth-placed Bundesliga team. The 24-year-old attacker could not get past world stars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappé at Paris Saint-Germain, so he switched to Leipzig in 2019 – and has already scored 25 goals in 36 competitive games in four competitions this season. After the break, Konrad Laimer (67th) and André Silva (73rd) scored for the 2019 and 2021 cup finalists, with national player Marcel Halstenberg making his first appearance of the season in the 75th minute after a long injury break.
Hanover back on the big stage
In Hanover there was cup fever before. The 96 team bus was greeted by hundreds of fans at the stadium – Hannover had last reached a quarter-final 15 years ago. In addition, the club entered a bigger stage for the first time after a sporting decline that had lasted for more than three years. The atmosphere at the beginning of the game was corresponding – but Christoph Dabrowski’s team was only open in the opening minutes.
Leipzig coach Domenico Tedesco had rotated a lot compared to 1-0 on Sunday in Bochum. With seven new players in the starting eleven, the Bundesliga club gained the necessary security after just 15 minutes. A good switching moment was enough for the lead. Dani Olmo played a simple pass to Nkunku, who was able to beat the passive Hannover defense too easily and scored.
Just a few minutes later, after winning a duel in midfield, Josko Gvardiol played a strong pass to Nkunku, who quickly passed 96 goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler and hit the empty goal. CEO Oliver Mintzlaff’s warning shortly before kick-off now seemed exaggerated. “We actually already have the pot in Leipzig, but we don’t have that!” Mintzlaff said at Sport1. “We’ve seen a lot of favorites die.”
As the game progressed, the class difference became even clearer. There was not much to see from the Hanoverian upswing in the 2nd division with seven points from three games. Benjamin Henrichs missed the big chance to make it 3-0 (43rd) just before the break, and RB managed the game cleverly after the break.
The Hanover fans continued to cheer their team on with their voices, but the second division team didn’t create many more opportunities. But the Leipzig: First Laimer met after a short, quick combination and then Silva. The Leipzig fans sang: “Berlin, Berlin, we’re going to Berlin”.
