With Klopp in the stands: RB secure their first win

In the end, even Jürgen Klopp was able to applaud the Red Bull flagship club's first victory in the new championship. Just over a week after the disaster in Munich, RB Leipzig defeated 1. FC Heidenheim at home. It remains to be seen to what extent the 2-0 (0-0) win against last season's almost-relegated team, which seemed laborious for a long time, can serve as encouragement.

In any case, it was Christoph Baumgartner who scored Leipzig's first goal of the new Bundesliga season in the 48th minute. New signing Rômulo (78th) ensured the final score.

Home opener, fairly full but not sold-out stands (43,495 spectators) apart from the visitors' curve - and the footballing greats of the Red Bull Group in the stands. In addition to Klopp, RB's global head of soccer, his assistant and ex-Leipzig assistant coach Zsolt Löw and Mario Gomez, technical director of the company from Fuschl am See. A bad start would also be a blemish for them. After the 6-0 loss at FC Bayern to open the season, the damage was done.

Coach Ole Werner made four changes, including the absence of Xavi Simons, who had moved to Tottenham Hotspur the day before. The fans encouraged the team with a large Restart poster. And initially, there was also a certain drive. However, this was aided by the one or other risky move by the visitors from Heidenheim, who had lost their first game of the season 3-1 to VfL Wolfsburg.

Goalkeeper in the spotlight

Such as in the fifth minute, when goalkeeper Diant Ramaj played the ball to Niklas Dorsch on the edge of the penalty area, where the ball promptly went astray and Baumgartner slid in between. The ball went past the empty goal. This is probably what Klopp & Co had in mind - only with the final goal.

The fact that nothing came of it before the break was partly due to inaccuracies from Leipzig and Heidenheim's keeper, who was just as quick to react to a deflected ball from David Raum (29') as he was to a shot from Rômulo (33').

What was the difference?

It was a lively game. The visitors also had some great chances. Against Mathias Honsak (8th and 13th), veteran goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi saved his team from going behind twice with great saves. And even though RB certainly had more of the game and more chances, there was no huge difference between a team that is aiming to return to the Champions League after missing out for the first time since promotion (2016) and a team that only escaped the threat of relegation in the relegation play-off last season.

Then it worked out from the hosts' point of view. Not even three minutes had been played after the changeover and all the spectators were back in their seats when Baumgartner, after receiving a pass from the edge of the area, slammed the ball under the crossbar. What Leipzig failed to do after that was to quickly clarify matters and exude a certain dominance. A Baumgartner header grazed the crossbar and, like Gulacsi at the other end, Ramaj was also able to make a save. However, he was also powerless when Rômulo scored.