When Marco Rose began to praise his team, the new day in Belgrade had long since dawned. "We only have one currency and that's results and victories. They put in a really good performance, I saw a confident team that wanted to play soccer. We fought at the end, that's part of it," said the RB Leipzig coach after the 2:1 win at Red Star Belgrade. It was the team's fourth appearance in the last 16 of the top flight, although they had previously only made it on the final day of group play.
Xavi Simons and Lois Openda scored for Leipzig, while Benjamin Henrichs gave the hosts hope with his own goal in the Marakana Stadium, which was impressively loud as usual. "Everything was just great. The rain, the atmosphere and a fighting victory," said captain Emil Forsberg. The Swede also promised not to give up on the two remaining games: "It's also about respect. We want to show our best side."
This also includes further development of the team. Despite all the joy, the team did not turn a blind eye to the fact that they once again failed to take their chances. "The boys are honest with each other and of course we ask ourselves why we don't manage to win the game sooner," said Rose. "That has to be our aspiration if we want to take the next steps. There are things we want to do better."
However, Rose must have been proud of the mature performance Leipzig showed in a difficult and emotionally heated atmosphere. In the past, there have always been games in the European Cup where they have had problems with a stifling atmosphere. Defeats at Besiktas Istanbul, Olympique Marseille and Glasgow Rangers are the most notable examples in negative terms. In this respect, the victory in Belgrade is also a kind of liberation. "It gives us a boost," said Rose, looking ahead to the coming weeks.
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