RB won once morest Hoffenheim and came within a point of Leverkusen who drew. Environmental activists interrupted the game in Frankfurt.
© AFP
Frenchman Christophe Nkunku scored and provided an assist for Leipzig.
Unsustainable since January, Leipzig and its scorer / passer Nkunku swept Hoffenheim 3-0 on Sunday, score acquired at the break, to return to a point of the podium five days from the end of the Bundesliga.
One goal, one assist: former Parisian Christophe Nkunku, a new French international, continues his show in the league, with now 17 goals and 13 assists this season.
Served by the Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai for his goal (1-0, 5th), Nkunku returned the favor at the end of the first period (3-0, 44th). Meanwhile, the German international defender Marcel Halstenberg had scored with a superb cross shot in the area (2-0, 20th).
Just behind Leverkusen
After 29 days, the RB has 51 points, still far from the leading duo Bayern (69 pts) and Dortmund (60 pts), but now on the heels of third Leverkusen (52 pts), held in check 0-0 in Bochum.
The Saxons, shortly following the arrival on the bench of Domenico Tedesco in December, were in 10th position, six points from the top 4, qualifying for the Champions League.
They operated a spectacular “remontada” which makes them not only the best team in the return matches of the Bundesliga (29 pts out of 36 possible), but also the favorites of the German Cup, hence Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen are eliminated.
Nkunku and his teammates are also still in the race in the Europa League, and play a quarter-final return to Atalanta Bergamo on Thursday, following a 1-1 draw at home in the first leg.
Missed penalty for Leverkusen
Still clinging to the podium, Bayer Leverkusen failed to score at promoted Bochum. The only significant event in a fairly closed match, a penalty attempted by Moussa Diaby in the 65th minute: the young French international slipped when striking, and involuntarily made a double contact left foot / right foot.
The ball ended up well in the net, but the referee logically refused the goal.
The other match this Sunday opposed Frankfurt to Freiburg. Three days following his superb performance once morest Barcelona in the Europa League (1-1), Eintracht gave up at home 2-1. Frankfurt is now five points from European places, five days from the end of the championship.
Friborg’s victory allows him to consolidate his fifth place, directly qualifying for the group stage of the Europa League, three points behind RB Leipzig.
Activists tied to poles
The match was halted four minutes just following kick-off when two climate activists tied themselves to the goal posts with cable ties.
Eintracht Frankfurt-Freiburg ???????? had to be interrupted because two people chained themselves to the poles in protest. pic.twitter.com/9syTVwFLzh
— VarskySports (@VarskySports) April 10, 2022
They wore T-shirts that read, in German: “Last Generation – Stop the Fossil Fuel Madness”. The stewards untied them and escorted them out of the stadium.
A similar protest had recently taken place in England during the Premier League game between Everton and Newcastle.
