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RB Leipzig surprised against Real Madrid in the Champions League

ZOn his 22nd birthday, Dominik Szoboszlai received a large cake, one “with a lot of sugar in it”, as Marco Rose revealed. The RB Leipzig coach did not want to reveal where he knew that from. Had he tasted it beforehand? Hours later, Rose suspected that his players had also nibbled on the cake. There was some evidence for this assumption. As if raised, they worked the field against Real Madrid, ran up and down, straddled and fought and showed what is generally understood as thrilling football for over 90 minutes. It was all so noticeable that Rose suspected an immense energy boost from excessive sugar consumption.

Ultimately, he didn’t care where the power came from. Leipzig’s coach was delighted with the passionate speech and a 3-2 win that puts RB in a comfortable position ahead of the last group match day of the Champions League. In a week, a draw against Shakhtar Donetsk would be enough to reach the round of 16. “We have now worked out a real final in Warsaw,” said Rose.

The game takes place in the Polish capital due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. However, Rose also warned: “We’re not through yet, that’s a fact.” If Donetsk wins, the Ukrainians would be through. Leipzig lost the first encounter with Shakhtar 1:4. It was to be the last game for then-coach Domenico Tedesco. He was replaced by Rose, who was born in Leipzig, and since then RB has only lost two of eleven competitive games.

The series in the Bundesliga against Bayer Leverkusen is to be extended on Saturday before progressing to the Champions League on Wednesday. After two defeats at the start, this goal hardly seemed achievable, but three games won in a row give Leipzig hope.

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