RB Leipzig defeats VfL Bochum in an arduous opening match

Leipzig (dpa) - Joker Antonio Nusa got RB Leipzig off to a successful start in the Bundesliga. In a laborious 1-0 (0-0) draw against VfL Bochum, the recently substituted new signing from Norway scored the decisive goal in the 59th minute to save Leipzig from losing a point at the start that they had by no means planned for.

Leipzig, who had to play the final phase outnumbered after a red card against Willi Orban (84th), should show a significant improvement in performance in the coming weeks. The 44,611 fans at least saw their team win, which is anything but guaranteed at the start of a Bundesliga season for Leipzig. The Saxons won only two of their previous eight opening matches. They even came away losers four times.

Protests from Leipzig fans

The start to the new season was fairly quiet - at least in the stands. Leipzig's active fan scene stayed away from their regular seats in Sector B for the first eleven minutes, protesting against what they saw as the club management's overly harsh actions. They had imposed stadium bans and withdrawn season tickets following two pyrotechnics incidents in Heidenheim and Frankfurt last season. In addition, no choreographies will be registered for away games this season, as the club believes this could result in pyrotechnics being smuggled into the stadium.

In the hours before the game, sections of the fans had put up various posters in the city. "We remain the fans you don't want" was one of the messages on them. The club and the fan scene would like to meet for talks in the coming week. The supporters then entered the block in the twelfth minute and created a great atmosphere.

They were almost greeted with Leipzig's lead. But Benjamin Sesko's goal was rightly disallowed for offside. It would have been a liberating moment in Leipzig's game, with the favorites visibly struggling to cope with Bochum's aggressive pressing. There was a lack of pace going forward and precision throughout RB's entire game. The best example: goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi (30) made a mistake when receiving the ball, but neither Moritz Broschinski nor Lukas Daschner hit the target with their attempts from the situation.

Rose angry on the sidelines

RB coach Marco Rose was becoming increasingly annoyed. He stood on the sidelines gesticulating and shouting wildly, but his instructions did not initially bear fruit. The first half between old companions Rose and Peter Zeidler went to the new VfL coach. Zeidler was coach of the professionals in Salzburg in 2015, while Rose was a successful youth coach. Rose was therefore familiar with the basic idea of Zeidler's soccer.

In addition, Manuel Riemann was missing for Bochum. The goalkeeper had kept VfL to a 0-0 draw last season by saving two penalties. He is now in a legal dispute with his club and has been banned from professional training. His successor Patrick Drewes initially made no mistakes and was largely kept busy.

Nusa dusts off

After the second half had also started with little momentum, Rose had seen enough. The 47-year-old brought on new signing Nusa as a wild card - and he stung five minutes later. A shot from Xavi Simons was blocked by the Bochum player, but the Norwegian was in the right place to score his second goal in his second competitive match for Leipzig. Nusa had already scored in the cup in Essen shortly after coming on as a substitute.

Leipzig were now a little more confident on the ball, but there were no big chances. And it became unnecessarily tense once again: Bochum substitute Myron Boadu was on his way to equalize, but Leipzig defender Orban had to make an emergency save. Outnumbered, RB then brought the result over time.