Paderborn score stoppage-time equaliser to deny RB Leipzig victory

Christian Strohdiek’s stoppage-time equaliser denied ten-man RB Leipzig the chance to go second in the Bundesliga.

The hosts have only lost once at home this season – against Schalke in September – and led for most of the match against Paderborn after Patrik Schick’s goal midway through the first half.

But Leipzig were dealt a numerical blow just before half-time as defender Dayot Upamecano was dismissed for a second bookable offence.

Paderborn skipper Strohdiek levelled the scores deep into the second half to hand the visitors a helping hand in their unlikely challenge to avoid relegation.

Leipzig were rarely threatened by the visitors during the first half.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side started dominantly and it took just four minutes for them to force Leopold Zingerle into a save.

After Timo Werner’s early deflected shot, moments later the tricky forward fed the ball to Christopher Nkunku to create another chance; the midfielder gracefully cut into space but Zingerle got down to the floor to turn the ball around the post.

The hosts, chasing Borussia Dortmund for second-place, came close again when Werner sped away from the defenders into space. With plenty of the goal to aim for, the forward – who has reportedly agreed on terms to join Chelsea, was blocked by Uwe Hünemeier.

But the missed opportunity was not left with regret as less than ten minutes later the hosts broke the deadlock.

It all came from a moment of lapsed concentration from the visitors as Nkunku was given time to feed the ball to Werner, he slid a pass to Schick whose spinning shot beyond Zingerle granted him a 10th goal of the season.

Paderborn were given a golden ticket to take something from the fixture when, two minutes before the interval, central defender Upamecano was given a second yellow card after carelessly kicking the ball away in frustration.

Leipzig made one change at half-time, switching to a 5-3-1 formation, to make amends for the numerical disadvantage as Marcel Halstenberg replaced goalscorer Schick.

The red card had a clear impact on Leipzig as Paderborn came on top for the majority of the second half.

Jamilu Collins’ pass allowed Streli Mamba to enter space, but the forward lacked composure and failed to get a shot away; Kai Pröger’s deep cross from the right forced Péter Gulácsi to make a save with a number of Paderborn attackers lingering for a loose ball.

The visitors’ tempo soon began to slow down, as Collins delivered an over-hit cross, and Leipzig dealt with Paderborn’s efforts well.

On the hour-mark, Leipzig won a corner and fed the ball to Daniel Olmo. The midfielder controlled the delivery with an exquisite touch and drove a low shot towards goal, but Zingerle did well to deny the hosts a second goal.

The home side certainly should have doubled their lead when Werner chased down a sloppy back-pass on 68 minutes; the soon-to-be Chelsea forward skipped past Zingerle but the Leipzig striker was unable to finish from an acute angle.

Christopher Anti-Adjei lapped up Klaus Gjasula’s weighted through-ball but he was unable to keep his strike low and on-target in Paderborn’s best chance of the game.

Anti-Adjei came close again but, with a narrow space to shoot through, he struck the side netting with a scuffed shot.

Werner had another opportunity to wrap up the tie when Angelino slotted a pass into the penalty area, but the forward’s strike grazed the crossbar.

And it was a miss heavily rued by the hosts as, in the second minute of stoppage time, Marlon Ritter’s first-time effort was parried into the path of Strohdiek and bundled over the line to secure Paderborn a valuable point.

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