RB Leipzig climbed to fourth place in the Bundesliga after securing a 2-0 victory over St Pauli on Sunday, thanks to goals from Benjamin Sesko and Xavi Simons in the first half.
The pair combined for both goals, with Simons setting up Sesko for a 16th-minute lead after a quick counterattack. Sesko, who has been in excellent form, calmly dribbled past a defender and slotted the ball into the bottom corner, marking his sixth goal in eight league games.
Simons got on the score sheet just before the break, as he finished a pull-back from Sesko inside the penalty area to double the advantage for Leipzig in the 35th minute. The Dutchman, who missed two months due to an ankle injury, now has three goals and three assists in six games since his return to the starting lineup.
Despite a red card for Leipzig captain Willi Orban in the 69th minute for a foul on Elias Saad, the hosts held firm and secured their first league win in almost a month. Leipzig now sit one point ahead of fifth-placed Stuttgart in the race for Champions League qualification, with Freiburg trailing by two points.
Leipzig coach Marco Rose praised his side’s dominant first-half performance, stating, “A decent performance and a deserved victory.”
Meanwhile, in a lower-table clash, Bochum earned a 2-2 draw at Holstein Kiel. Kiel had taken the lead early with a penalty by Steven Skrzybski, but Myron Boadu scored twice in quick succession in the 37th and 39th minutes to level the score. Kiel regained the advantage early in the second half with a header from David Zec, but a disallowed goal by Lewis Holtby kept the match tied. Kiel remains in 17th place, five points from safety, while Bochum is further behind.
