Xavi Simons and Benjamin Šeško found the net as RB Leipzig secured a 2-0 victory over newly promoted St. Pauli on Sunday, maintaining their grip on fourth place in the Bundesliga standings.
The win keeps Leipzig in the final Champions League qualification spot, just one point ahead of Stuttgart with 13 rounds left to play.
Simons and Šeško struck in the first half to give Leipzig the edge. However, the team had to dig deep from the 69th minute after captain Willi Orbán was shown a red card for bringing down Elias Saad in front of goal.
Goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi stepped up with crucial saves to deny late attempts from Johannes Eggestein and Hauke Wahl, preserving the victory.
Simons showcased his playmaking ability by setting up Šeško’s opening goal with a perfectly timed pass. The Slovenian forward skillfully evaded defender David Nemeth before slotting the ball inside the far post in the 16th minute.
Just over 15 minutes later, Šeško returned the favor, providing an assist for Simons to double Leipzig’s lead in the 35th.
The match brought together two teams with contrasting histories. Leipzig, founded in 2009 by energy drink giant Red Bull to promote its brand, faced off against Hamburg-based St.
Pauli, a club known for its anti-establishment image and iconic skull-and-crossbones emblem embraced by its punk-leaning fanbase.
Earlier in the day, a tense bottom-of-the-table clash between Holstein Kiel and Bochum ended in a 2-2 draw, with four players forced off due to injuries.
Steven Skrzybski gave Kiel an early lead from the penalty spot, but Myron Boadu responded with two quick goals. David Zec later rose to head home an equalizer from a free kick delivered by American defender John Tolkin.
It marked Tolkin’s first assist in his third game since joining from New York Red Bulls – another club in Red Bull’s global football network.
