Brajan Gruda proved he had a nose for goal twice, Christoph Baumgartner did it with power and elegance. And Benjamin Henrichs provided a moment of emotion. RB Leipzig humiliated direct rivals TSG 1899 Hoffenheim with a furious performance and collected three big points in the battle for a top flight ticket with their 5:0 (4:0) victory.
Gruda (17th/44th minute) and Baumgartner (21st/30th) both scored twice in the first half against the desolate Kraichgauers with their pitiful national goalkeeper Oliver Baumann. The video referee denied Leipzig a potential record lead at the break, and a goal from Yan Diomande was disallowed in stoppage time for offside.
The fifth goal was scored by substitute Henrichs (78') in the closing stages. His first goal after an eternally long injury break was met with collective cheers. The clear victory meant that the Saxons moved level on points with Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga and even overtook VfB Stuttgart into third place thanks to their superior goal difference. A few days after the painful 1-0 defeat in Stuttgart, the Champions League is once again a more realistic scenario for coach Ole Werner's team.
