RB Leipzig 2-3 Man City: Haaland's Late Winner Settles Champions League Thriller in Germany

Erling Haaland did it to RB Leipzig again. The Manchester City captain slid home the winner 12 minutes from time on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and City beat Leipzig 3-2 at the Red Bull Arena in the UEFA Champions League. City led twice and were pegged back twice before Haaland’s late finish. Sky Sports reported it was his 13th goal in nine appearances against the Bundesliga side, his most against any opponent in his career.

The win gave Enzo Maresca’s team a lift after a rough patch. BBC Sport noted City had lost back-to-back Premier League games and needed penalties to get past Brighton in the Carabao Cup.

RB Leipzig vs. Man City: the result in brief

• Final: RB Leipzig 2, Manchester City 3
• Halftime: Leipzig 0, City 1
• City goals: Castello Lukeba own goal 37’, Enzo Fernández 58’, Erling Haaland 78’
• Leipzig goals: Ridle Baku 49’, Antonio Nusa 61’
• Assists (BBC Sport): Iliman Ndiaye and Elliot Anderson for City; Gruda and Nkunku for Leipzig
• Kickoff: 8 p.m. UK time (3 p.m. ET)

A first half that Leipzig controlled, until the own goal

Leipzig had the better early chances, BBC Sport reported. Antonio Nusa’s shot from outside the area nearly got through Gianluigi Donnarumma’s grasp before landing on top of the net, and Christoph Baumgartner curled narrowly wide.

City had plenty of the ball but created little. Sky Sports said Haaland had just three touches in the first half. The breakthrough came from a mistake: Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba got his feet tangled and slid Nico O’Reilly’s harmless cross into his own net in the 37th minute.

Three goals in 12 minutes after the break

The second half burst open. Early on, Donnarumma left his near post exposed and Ridle Baku squeezed in an equalizer from a tight angle in the 49th minute. BBC Sport noted the Italian goalkeeper’s recent form “has been questionable.”

City went back in front when Enzo Fernández arrived in the box to power a header home from Iliman Ndiaye’s cross. Within three minutes, Leipzig were level again: Nusa fired low across Donnarumma into the bottom corner on the hour mark for what Sky Sports called “a deserved goal.”

Then Haaland, the “totemic No 9” in The Guardian’s words, finished Elliot Anderson’s low cross to win it. The Guardian added that Rayan Cherki hit a post late on.

What it means for City and Leipzig

BBC Sport’s table after the match had Manchester City seventh with 9 points from four games and RB Leipzig 30th with 3 points.

The Guardian argued the win ends a sequence of two losses in three games for City, but that Maresca “has major issues,” pointing to a leaky defense and a midfield that struggles to control games.

Elsewhere: Fenerbahçe 3-2 Liverpool

Liverpool also played a five-goal game on Wednesday and came out on the wrong end. ESPN’s final score has Fenerbahçe beating Liverpool 3-2 in Istanbul. Liverpool’s goals came from Trey Nyoni and Alexander Isak, and Fenerbahçe scored through Mason Greenwood, Archie Brown and Vedat Muriqi, the last of them in the 79th minute, according to ESPN’s match data. Full reaction from that game was still coming in at the time of writing.

Arsenal won 2-1 at Slavia Prague on the same night, and Real Madrid won 3-2 at AEK Athens earlier in the day.

FAQ