RB Leipzig defeats Atalanta Bergamo and is in the semifinals: Christopher Nkunku once again decisive

RB head coach Domenico Tedesco relied on almost the same staff from the first leg, only letting Mohamed Simakan start in the back three for Lukas Klostermann. Atalanta played in the 3-4-2-1 system and surprisingly started without Luis Muriel in the center of the attack.

The initial phase belonged to the northern Italians for long stretches, who pushed the Saxons far back into their own half with poisonous pressing behavior. However, Leipzig survived the pressure phase of the Bergamasques unscathed.

In the 18th minute, the Tedesco team then proved their ice coldness in the transition game. Konrad Laimer was sent down the right flank and marched into the home team’s penalty area. From there, the Austrian had an eye for Christopher Nkunku, who had run with him and only had to push in from seven meters. It was the 13th goal in 12 games for the French forward in all competitions.

The opening goal should now give the guests a lot of self-confidence. Until the break, the Saxons defended their penalty area confidently and knew how to please offensively with variable combination play. With a narrow 1-0 lead, it should go into the half-time break.

Shortly after the start of the second half, RB had to tremble – a free kick from Marten De Roon hit Dani Olmo on the elbow inside the Leipzig penalty area. After a quick check on the video monitor, there was a sigh of relief – referee Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz did not rate Olmo’s action as punishable.

After an hour, the game suddenly became hectic. Many warnings and substitutions on both sides hampered the flow of the game enormously. The Bergamasques continued to run against a disciplined defending RB Leipzig, but found no gap in the defense.

Three minutes before the end, all of the Nerazzuri’s semi-final dreams were shattered: the strong Nkunku was brought down by Atalanta keeper Juan Musso in the penalty area, and the referee had no choice but to point to the point. Nkunku kicked in himself from eleven meters, converted the penalty kick halfway and very safely (87th).

With the deserved victory, RB Leipzig is the first team to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League.

The tweet about the game:

That was noticeable: Tedesco’s match plan works – Nkunku takes care of the rest

In the first ten minutes, all Leipzig fans had to tremble and show nerves. Bergamo pressed aggressively, making life very difficult for RB in the game structure. After that, almost only the Saxons played. The guests finally took the lead over the usual dangerous switching game. Defensively they were safe, also because Konrad Laimer and Willi Orban won almost all aerial duels. Christopher Nkunku also became a key player at RB again. The Frenchman has been in excellent form for weeks and has now defeated the Bergamasques almost single-handedly. This team is capable of everything in the hunt for the first European title.

Statistics: 4

Only four wins are enough for RB Leipzig this year in the Europa League to reach the semi-finals.

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