RB Leipzig’s 2021/22 Bundesliga season has finally kicked off thanks to a stunning display that blew Hertha Berlin away with a six-goal blitz.
The win takes Jesse Marsch’s team up to tenth place in the table, leapfrogging Hertha, who drop to 12th. The early season Bundesliga 2021 betting odds placed the Red Bulls as one of the two teams who could challenge FC Bayern for the title, but four points from the first five games cast serious doubt.
But a man-of-the-match performance from Christopher Nkunku blasted die Roten Bullen up the table and now they might just be ready for take-off!
Elsewhere, in another compulsive weekend of German top-flight football, Bayern stay top after winning away to Greuther Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen jump to second place after beating Mainz, while top-four teams Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg both suffered defeats.
Winners: RB Leipzig
Nkunku was simply sensational for Leipzig, scoring twice, making an assist and winning a penalty in a great all-around performance from Marsch’s men. The French winger opened the scoring early on, latching onto a through ball from Lukas Klostermann and finishing coolly. He then set up Youssuf Poulsen for the second, opening the floodgates, and Nordi Mukiele made it three.
On the hour, Nkunku was too quick for Niklas Stark and won a penalty which Emil Forsberg fired home low into the corner. The man of the match then scored the pick of the goals with a brilliant free-kick into the top right corner. That’s a moment to pick out on the Bundesliga 2021 highlights…don’t miss it.
Amadou Haidara rounded off the rout with a clinical finish and Leipzig fans can finally have a party!
Loser: Marco Rose – Borussia Dortmund
Former Borussia Monchengladbach manager Marco Rose had an unhappy homecoming when his old club beat his new charges 1-0 to push Borussia Dortmund down to fourth place in the table.
Die Schwarzgelben had to play over half the game with ten men after Mahmoud Dahoud was sent off for a second yellow, minutes after Denis Zakaria had given the hosts the lead.
Without the injured Erling Braut Haaland and skipper Marco Reus, Dortmund were toothless in front of goal, failing to register a single shot on target to end a run of scoring in 56 consecutive matches in all competitions.
Winner: Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen
Here at SBOTOP, we picked out Leverkusen’s 18-year-old midfielder Florian Wirtz as a star of the future, and he’s already ripping defences apart with four goals and three assists already to his name this season.
Wirtz scored the only goal in Bayer’s 1-0 win over Mainz, a result which lifts his side to second in the table. And with his goal, he has become youngest player to reach ten league goals in Bundesliga history.
After a goalless first half, Wirtz took a pass from Jeremie Frimpong and converted the winner on 62 minutes and the young player’s star continues to rise.
Losers: Wolfsburg
A trip to Hoffenheim presented an ideal opportunity for Mark van Bommel’s Wolfsburg to continue their excellent start to the campaign, as their hosts came into the game with just one victory from their opening five games. And when Ridle Baku gave Die Wolfe a first-half lead with a superb low drive from outside the penalty area… it all seemed to be going to plan.
But an equaliser, deep into first-half stoppage time, converted by Andrej Kramaric fired the hosts back into the game. Wolfsburg pushed for a winner throughout the second half but were hit by two late goals from Christian Baumgartner and Pavel Kaderabek.
It’s a case of ‘what might have been’ for Wolfsburg, who drop to third, while Hoffenheim are up to ninth.
Winner: Robert Lewandowski – FC Bayern
Die Bayern stretched their lead at top of the Bundesliga to three points with a regulation 1-3 victory away to new boys Greuther Furth on Friday evening. But there were a couple of subplots to the match, the first being Robert Lewandowski’s failure to score a goal.
But I have the lethal Pole down as a winner, what else? Because he has just been awarded the 2020/21 European Golden Shoe for his incredible achievement of scoring 41 goals in 29 games last term, failing to score in just four of his appearances.
Well, he missed out again on Friday, which meant he failed to equal Gerd Muller’s all-time record of scoring in 16 consecutive league games. But Lewi deserves a day off now and then, though he did hit the woodwork, and goals from Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich and an own goal were enough for the champions.
Loser: Benjamin Pavard – FC Bayern
It was another good night for Bayern, but not for their right-back Benjamin Pavard, who saw red for a reckless challenge on Greuther’s Julian Green just after the break.
Even his boss Julian Nagelsmann refused to defend him, saying “I don’t think the tackle was absolutely necessary. I also think that this is a red card. It goes to the Achilles tendon, which is usually not such a good area to straddle.”
Pavard will be out for the next two games… at least.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
