Deaths overshadow RB Leipzig’s home game
Status: 17.02.2024 | Reading time: 3 minutes
The Bundesliga game between RB Leipzig and Borussia Mönchengladbach is quieter than usual. The guests mourn a deceased fan. Another accident then occurs in the stadium.
One person died on Saturday evening during the Bundesliga game between RB Leipzig and Borussia Mönchengladbach after unsuccessful resuscitation attempts in the Leipzig football stadium. “Unfortunately we have to give you some sad news. Unfortunately this fan passed away. “We are with his relatives and his family,” said the stadium spokesman during half-time.
Leipzig fans stopped supporting their team shortly after kick-off after it became known that one person had to be resuscitated. “Due to these incidents, our fan block is currently foregoing vocal support,” RB initially announced on the X platform (formerly Twitter). At half-time there was sad certainty.
There was also unusual silence in the guest block. The approximately 3,500 visiting fans held back their support “because a member of the fan scene died in a traffic accident,” as Borussia Mönchengladbach announced on X during the game.
“You definitely feel a very strange mood at the very beginning. We had heard that from Gladbach before the game and were of course deeply affected,” said Schröder, describing his impressions. “We realized relatively quickly that it was very, very quiet in our block.” Then we got the information that something had also happened in the RB block: “It was a very, very strange atmosphere – and Of course it’s really tragic.”
“My sincere condolences to the families”
Leipzig coach Marco Rose said: “Then at some point you as a coach will get the information. You’re still in the middle of it all, it’s still about points. But then you also notice somewhere that something completely different is important in life: namely health. Tragic, my sincere condolences to the families.”
Spectators turned on their cell phone lights as a signal to the coaches
Source: picture alliance/dpa/Robert Michael
Rose, who also coached Borussia Mönchengladbach before his time in Leipzig and Dortmund, praised the spectators in the Leipzig Arena: “I thought the stadium, the fans, reacted great,” said the 47-year-old. In the final phase, many visitors held up their glowing cell phones as a sign of mourning.
The players tried to concentrate on sport in this unusual atmosphere, which the hosts did much better. Leipzig won 2-0 (1-0) and is back within touching distance of the Champions League places. The Saxons reduced the gap to fourth place in the Bundesliga to one point. Previously, rivals Dortmund had only played 1-1 in Wolfsburg.
In front of 44,822 spectators, Xavi Simons (14th minute) gave Leipzig the lead before Lois Openda (57th) increased. Sesko (73′) then had the chance to make it 3-0, but the strong Nicolas was there with a reflexive foot save. For the hard-working but harmless Gladbachers, the black streak in Rasenballsport games continues: They didn’t get a win in the eighth game in Leipzig either. They slipped to 14th place in the table.
