Gladbach no match on the road against rampant RB Leipzig
| Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images. |
RB Leipzig, under the tutelage of Martin Demichelis, claimed an opening day win over Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga this afternoon. Goals from Ridle Baku, Antonio Nusa and Rocco Reitz ensured the hosts took all three points with a 3-0 victory.
Making a brave and proactive start at the Red Bull Arena, Gladbach ought to have taken the lead after 20 minutes. Hugo Bolin's effort was redirected onto the post by Maarten Vandevoordt, forcing the Belgian to scramble and scoop the ball off the goal-line.
Somewhat reflective of the visitors' struggles last season, their hard work was undone when Leipzig went 1-0 to the good minutes later. A flowing move saw Ridle Baku play a neat give and go with Tidiam Gomis, drifting in behind to curl inside the left upright with precision.
As half-time neared, the Saxony-based outfit could have furthered their lead had Antonio Nusa managed to steer David Raum's cross to the net. With Willi Orban's header striking the bar, Gladbach seemed relieved to enter the dressing rooms just a goal in arrears.
Making amends for their slight inaccuracies after the break, Antonio Nusa wriggled inside to pick out the top-right corner three minutes after the restart. A stunning triple save from Nicolas in the next passage of play just about kept the wounded Foals in the game.
Perhaps poetically, the game was put to bed just past the hour mark when returning hero Christopher Nkunku slipped in pantomime villain Rocco Reitz. The former Gladbach player netting against his former employers, prompting a muted celebration from his end.
As the benches emptied for both teams, Gladbach's offensive output increased with the fresh legs of Franck Honorat. The consolation goal wouldn't come for Eugen Polanski's men, with Hugo Bolin's late strike struck out for offside which compounded their misery.
