And you want to be a Champions League finalist? Older stadium goers will remember. When the reigning champions in the Bundesliga were previously defeated, the opposing fans sang: “And you want to be German champions?” In Europe, this swan song doesn’t suit a club better than Tottenham. In the Premier League, the Spurs are 41 points behind Liverpool and in the Champions League, the last year’s finalist has no chance against knockout round debutant RB Leipzig (Leipzig won the first leg 1-0). There are reasons for the crash, but the injuries to Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min do not justify such an achievement as in Leipzig.
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The result: The Bundesliga team wins 3-0 (2-0) and moves into the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in club history. Read the match report here.
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Cheers to the high-gloss product: On a day on which the world of sport has changed drastically due to cancellations and viewer exclusions, Leipzig played in full stands. The club didn’t decide that, but RB boss Oliver Mintzlaff joined the voices of the irresponsible: “Of course, health has priority. But it is nicer to have such a round of 16 with a full house,” said Mintzlaff before the kick-off. “Nobody is forced to come to the stadium either.” And even with TV broadcaster Sky, there was no classification as to why major events are the wrong signal in times of the corona virus. “Everyone is happy that the stadium is full,” said commentator Martin Groß.
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First half: In the second half of the season, substitute captain Marcel Sabitzer did not want to go so well. After eleven competitive goals and seven assists in the preliminary round, the personal successes for the Austrian largely failed to materialize – that should change against the Spurs. Sabitzer first scored with a low shot from 18 meters for Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (10th minute). After a cross from left-back Angeliño Sabitzer headed to 2-0 (21st). Leipzig had one or two more good chances for a third goal, in the Spurs only Giovanni Lo Celso came dangerously in front of Peter Gulácsi (42.).
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No Mourinho defensive: Anyone who had signed José Mourinho as a coach in the past knew what he was getting. A motivator who knew his players thanks to his extravagance and always played for titles with an effective defensive system. But since the end of his second tenure at Chelsea FC (2015), the Portuguese has benefited above all from his reputation. At Manchester United, Mourinho’s strengths seemed to have been lost, and the 58-year-old was also unable to stabilize the Spurs after the split from Mauricio Pochettino. The best proof was this first half, in which the Spurs defenders made as many mistakes as previous Mourinho teams in an entire CL season.
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Second half: In the coming weeks there will be a lot of discussion about whether the host teams could be deprived of the home advantage without spectators. That evening the Leipzigers could very well have done without their fans. Before the break, the opponent was simply too bad and in the second round, given the overall result of 3: 0, the Bundesliga team lacked the necessary seriousness for both teams. Only substitute Emil Forsberg wanted to show himself to his coach Julian Nagelsmann and hit the ball with his first touch of the ball (87.).
Here’s how: Leipzig is one of the top eight teams in Europe. However, no one can currently give a serious answer as to whether the first leg will actually take place on April 7 and 8. Should the coronavirus crisis worsen to the extent of the past few weeks, instead of playing in front of empty ranks, there could also be cancellations. The quarter-finals will be drawn on March 20.
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