Lisbon- German club RB Leipzig has marched onto their first-ever Champions League semi-final after defeating Spanish giants Atlético Madrid, 2-1 on Friday.
After the goalless first 45, Leipzig player Dani Olmo scored the first goal with a great header within the first five minutes of the second half. Joao Felix came off the bench and equalized with a penalty kick in the 71st minute.
Though the match seemed destined to enter extra time, Tyler Adams’ decisively struck in the 88th-minute. Savić deflection took the ball past Oblak and there they were. Leipzig’s first semi-final date with PSG is now set for Wednesday, August 19.
“We became a little passive after it went 1-0 and it was very close,” said Leipzig manager Nagelsmann after the victory. “We definitely were a little lucky with how we scored the winner. Still, we were the better team overall.”
Nagelsmann, 33, has now become the youngest manager to reach the CL semi-finals after outmaneuvering Diego Simeone. For context: Nagelsmann was born in 1987, the exact year Simeone made his professional debut for Velez Sarsfield.
Rio Ferdinand criticized Simeone’s defensive strategy after the game. Instead of exploiting Leipzig’s comparative inexperience at this stage, Atlético primarily remained behind the half-line for most of the time and allowed Leipzig to play their free-flowing attacking style of football.
RB Leipzig player Dayot Upamecano received the Man of the Match gong.
Great Leap forward by Leipzig
After the formation of the club in 2009, Leipzig reached the semifinal of the Champions League in 11 short years. The club was quickly promoted to the fourth, third, and second division in 2010, 2013, and 2014, respectively.
They entered the Bundesliga in 2016 and finished the subsequent season as runner-up. Now, in 2020, they’ve reached the CL’s semi-finals and have their eyes on the biggest European club football prize of all.
