Knauff scores in battling win at Leipzig | OneFootball

Ansgar Knauff’s seventh-minute goal earned Eintracht a 1-0 win in their final match of the first half of the campaign, with Donny van de Beek and Sasa Kalajdzic both making their debuts in Leipzig.

Knauff gave Eintracht an early lead on his 50th Bundesliga appearance for the Eagles, who were indebted to Kevin Trapp for keeping the score at 1-0 before the interval. Trapp was the busier of the two goalkeepers after the break, but Dino Toppmöller’s side came through the latter stages unscathed to claim a highly impressive victory in their first competitive game of 2024.

Debuts for van de Beek and Kalajdzic

Toppmöller handed debuts to January signings van de Beek and Kalajdzic as the Eintracht boss made four changes to the team that beat Borussia Mönchengladbach in their last Bundesliga encounter. Hugo Larsson and Niels Nkounkou were also drafted into the side in the absence of Africa Cup of Nations trio Farès Chaibi, Omar Marmoush and Ellyes Skhiri, with fit-again Philipp Max named on the bench.

Early breakthrough

The Eagles made the perfect start in Leipzig, taking the lead with the game’s first real opportunity. Nkounkou’s terrific ball across the face of goal was met at the far post by Knauff, who fired home his fifth goal of the campaign. The home side struggled to muster a response, although they should have done better when Lois Openda’s cross landed at the feet of Benjamin Sesko, who failed to make proper contract with the Belgian’s delivery.

Trapp preserved Eintracht’s slender lead with a superb save late in the half, denying Openda from a tight angle. The Eagles captain made another fine intervention at the feet of Openda moments later as Leipzig increased the pressure in search of a leveller, ensuring Toppmöller’s side went into half-time with a one-goal advantage.

Eagles hold on

Openda went close again within minutes of the restart, blazing over the crossbar after latching onto Xavi Simons’ pass. That opportunity appeared to serve as a wake-up call for the Eagles as Manchester United loanee van de Beek drilled narrowly wide – albeit from an offside position – before Mario Götze failed to hit the target after more fine work from Nkounkou. Van de Beek and Kalajdzic left the pitch to warm applause from the visiting fans just after the hour mark, with Aurelio Buta and Jessic Ngankam coming on for the latter stages.

Trapp had to be on his toes again to deny Benjamin Henrichs with 20 minutes remaining, before Mohamed Simakan headed over from an excellent position not long afterwards. Buta skewed wide from a tight angle as the clock ticked towards 90, but the substitute’s miss did not prove costly as the Eagles claimed their first away victory over Leipzig in the top flight.