Latest news with #LoisOpenda
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Leipzig back into Champions League spot with win at Wolfsburg
Leipzig back into Champions League spot with win at Wolfsburg Leipzig's Lois Openda (R) celebrates scoring his side's first goal with his coach Zsolt Loew during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig at Volkswagen Arena. Swen Pförtner/dpa RB Leipzig are temporarily back into the qualification zone for the Champions League thanks to a 3-2 Bundesliga win at VfL Wolfsburg on Friday. Leipzig's early pressure paid off when Lois Openda drilled a low shot into the net to give the guests the lead in the 11th minute. Advertisement Benjamin Sesko had a goal disallowed in the 22nd, and Wolfsburg could have levelled just a minute later but Bence Dardai's effort hit the post and the player sent the rebound over the bar. Good for Leipzig, who didn't took long to extend their lead as Xavi Simons found the target in the 26th. Simons completed his brace with a stunning long-distance effort in the 49th before Kilian Fischer pulled one back for Wolfsburg in the 58th. The hosts looked close to get at least a point when Andreas Skov Olsen added a second in the 75th but they didn't manage to score an equalizer. Leipzig moved up to fourth and into the Champions League qualification zone, but Mainz can retake the position if they win at Hoffenheim on Saturday. Advertisement Wolfsburg, meanwhile, remained 12th, but far enough from the relegation zone. On Saturday, champions Bayer Leverkusen welcome Union Berlin, while leaders Bayern Munich host the top clash against Borussia Dortmund. Leipzig's Lois Openda (R) celebrates scoring his side's first goal with his teammate Xavi Simons during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig at Volkswagen Arena. Swen Pförtner/dpa
Fox Sports
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Simons grabs impressive double as Leipzig sends Wolfsburg to fourth straight loss
Associated Press WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) — Xavi Simons scored twice as Leipzig weathered a late comeback to beat Wolfsburg 3-2 in the Bundesliga on Friday and win away from home for the first time this year. All three goals came from outside the box in a display that put Leipzig's recent bad away run to bed and lifted it into fourth place, equal on points with the team above it, Eintracht Frankfurt. Leipzig's last away win was on Dec. 7, a run of seven winless matches. Lois Openda got the scoring started after 11 minutes. Wolfsburg lost possession in front of its own penalty box and Openda rifled a low shot inside the far post. A defensive mishap led to a similar second 15 minutes later. Leipzig took possession when a defender slipped and Xavi Simons made space for himself on the edge of the box and his low shot beat the goalkeeper in the exact same place. The third in the second half was the pick of the bunch. Baku teed up Simons nicely and the Dutch international side-footed in a sublime curler from 25 meters out. Kilian Fischer pulled a goal back for Wolfsburg — becoming the 16th different player to score for the club this season, a club record — and Andreas Skov Olsen brought the home side right back into the game with 16 minutes left. But it could not find an equalizer and it remains in 12th place, having lost four games in a row. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sesko penalty sees Leipzig book semi-final spot
The encounter began at a frantic pace on a crucial evening in Saxony, with chances at both ends. In just the fourth minute, Lois Openda found himself in acres of space inside the Wolfsburg box. However, his sidefooted shot flashed wide after an exquisite outside-of-the-foot cross from partner-in-crime Benjamin Sesko. Up the other end less than a minute later, Wolfsburg's Tiago Tomas got a powerful shot away from the left-hand side of the box that flew into the side netting of Maarten Vandevoort's goal. Both Openda and Leipzig let rip with efforts from distance in the opening ten minutes before the match began to settle into a rhythm of Leipzig possession. Looking to pick their moments, Wolfsburg began to grow back into the match, forcing Vandevoort into two saves within a minute via shots Mohamed Amoura and Andreas Skov Olsen, raising the decibels emerging from the travelling Wolfsburg contingent of 4,000. Moments before halftime, Patrick Wimmer forced Vandevoort into action again after a snapshot from the right looked to be flashing into the bottom corner. Despite having less of the ball, the visitors led the hosts in shots on target before the sides went into the break with the scores level. And it was the visitors who started the second in red hot fashion, with Amoura and Skov Olsen seeing their efforts stopped by both the bar and Leipzig's Vandevoort respectively. Lois Openda found himself with a huge opportunity in the 58th minute after a beautifully floated cross from Sesko, after seeing his first effort blocked after a fantastic touch to bring the ball down, the rebound from the Belgian flashed well-wide of Marius Müller's goal. Strike partner Sesko, however, spurned the biggest chance of the game so far for Leipzig five minutes later when his free header rolled wide after meeting a delicious David Raum free kick. After starting the half on the back foot, it was the hosts who continued to grasp control of the side. Four minutes later, Leipzig would be rewarded for their pressure when the Slovenian confidently netted from the spot after winning a penalty via the arm of Kilian Fischer. Ralph Hasenhüttl and Wolfsburg naturally felt aggrieved, with the decision itself being somewhat controversial, with the fullback doing all he could to move his right arm out of the way. The onus now was on Wolfsburg to put their frustrations aside, and die Wölfe immediately looked to pile pressure on, with Bence Dardai letting rip from distance. Leipzig, though, as they had done all match long, were able to quickly wrestle back control at the first sight of a Wolfsburg flurry. As the closing period continues, it began to look likely that if there was going to be another goal, it would be one for the hosts. Xavi Simons, Amadou Haidara and Lois Openda all let rip with efforts, but for now, the scores remained at a goal to nil as Ralph Hasenhüttl's men saw the clock keep ticking. After Sesko saw a shot saved at one end, Wolfsburg came agonisingly close to finding an equaliser in the 87th minute when Vandevoort rushed out of his goal to deny Kevin Behrens from close range. Despite throwing bodies upon bodies forward, Wolfsburg just weren't able to force an opportunity big enough to drag themselves level, with Leipzig's Openda going up the other end to unleash a fantastic shot, well saved by Müller. RB Leipzig saw out the closing stages on home soil to book their place in the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal where they look to win back the trophy snatched out of their hands in May of 2024.
