Leipzig bounce back from winless run as Sesko double downs Augsburg
Back-to-back goalless draws in the Bundesliga had the home faithful anxious for a breakthrough in the early stages, and fortunately for them, Marco Rose’s men drew first blood inside 10 minutes.
Will Orbán kickstarted a slick move with a line-breaking pass to find Loïs Openda, whose flick found Benjamin Šeško. The Slovenian broke his league duck for the campaign in some style, beating one defender before drilling a long-range effort into the bottom corner.
It appeared the floodgates had opened for Šeško, who doubled his tally within five minutes as he rose highest to guide David Raum’s cross back across goal and beyond the despairing Nediljko Labrović.
Augsburg were on the ropes, but the visitors were presented with the chance to get back in the contest when Luthsharel Geertruida felled Dimitris Giannoulis inside the area.
Jeffrey Gouweleeuw stepped up from 12 yards, but Péter Gulácsi produced his first penalty save in the Bundesliga in two years to preserve his side’s two-goal lead.
Leipzig really should have been further ahead by the break, with both Antonio Nusa and Openda spurning chances before the half-time whistle.
The Belgian would make no such mistake within a minute of the restart, however, beating the offside trap to race onto Xavi Simons’ pass and slot past the goalkeeper.
Simons got in on the act himself before the hour, lashing a volley beyond Labrović after Šeško redirected Raum’s cross into his path.
With a UEFA Champions League tie against Juventus on the horizon, Rose had the opportunity to rest players thanks to his side’s commanding lead.
However, Leipzig left their big hitters on in an effort to rub salt in the Augsburg wounds.
To the visitors’ credit, they held firm in the face of continuing pressure to limit the damage, though they’ve now lost six consecutive Bundesliga away matches.
Leipzig, meanwhile, climb into the top two as their unbeaten start to the league campaign stretches to a fifth game.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Benjamin Šeško (RB Leipzig)