Baumgartner's Next Moment of Joy After a Long Period of Suffering

First, Christoph Baumgartner threw his arms up in celebration; then, coach Martín Demichelis threw his arms around him in relief. With two late goals, the substitute saved RB Leipzig from imminent elimination from the cup and added another chapter to his comeback story. 

“I’m glad I’ve already been able to make such an impact. I wouldn’t have thought that was possible a week ago,” Baumgartner said after the 2-1 victory in the second round against third-division side Rot-Weiss Essen.

Substituted in the 62nd minute, the Austrian turned the game around with his two goals within five minutes (78th and 82nd minutes) and secured RB’s spot in the Cup round of 16 against the underdog. “I’m really happy about that, but I can still tell that I’m lacking a certain amount of power,” Baumgartner admitted. He said he’s “still a long way from 100 percent” and that the 30 minutes of playing time had already pushed him “very, very close to my limit.”

Back, but not yet at 100 percent

“If it had gone into overtime, it would have been fun,” joked the Austrian national team player. For the 27-year-old, playing for an extended period is still “really difficult.” “A week ago, I hadn’t played a game in four and a half months. So it would be crazy if it weren’t that way. But I’m really happy and I also know that the way things have turned out for me isn’t something to take for granted.”

After all, his two-goal performance marked another step on the road back to his former form following a long layoff due to a thigh muscle injury and a shattered World Cup dream. After four and a half months of rehab, Baumgartner made his comeback last week in the Champions League against Real Madrid (1–4) and also scored immediately after coming off the bench in the home game against SV Elversberg (4–0) over the weekend.

Demichelis Raves About “Baumi”

Coach Demichelis emphasized the importance of the returning player and match-winner to his team. “He’s a leader, a special person. We said right at the start of the season that we need players like Baumi,” Demichelis said after the game. After such a long injury layoff, however, he added, the team must remain patient. “Of course, a coach always wants to have a player like that. But we’re in constant communication with him.”