A star studded RB Leipzig side made the trip to the Schüco Arena to take on the 2. Bundesliga draw specialists Arminia Bielefeld and fought for a tough 1-0 victory, courtesy of a Davie Selke strike late in the first half.
Contrary to the League table, Arminia Bielefeld dominated the first half proceedings and forced Fabio Coltorti - steward of the die Roten Bullen goal - into a number of excellent saves. Despite this dominance Ralf Rangnick's visitors made Norbert Meier's side pay for their missed chances as the former Werder Bremen man, Selke, stroked home after a Diego Demme assist. Despite troubling in the first period, Arminia were a spent force in the second half and RB Leipzig were able to hold on for a crucial three points.
Arminia made to rue missed chances
Controversy struck within forty seconds of kick off, as Brian Behrendt looked to have felled Davie Selke in the box; yet Bielefeld blushes were spared as referee Timo Gerach waved die Bullen appeals away.
Despite the early pressure from Ralf Rangnick's side, the early stages were primarily dominated by the draw specialist Schüco Arena hosts. With the customary whistles and jibes that follow the much detested RB Leipzig around the Teutonic State at their backs the Arminia Bielefeld attack expertly utilized the flanks; and it was from this area that they would carve the first serious action for either 'keeper - yet for die Blauen, Fabian Klos was unable to beat Fabio Coltorti with his effort.
The star studded RB Leipzig side seemed powerless to stop the onslaught that die Arminen were enacting upon them. Once again an Arminia Bielefeld player found space down the channels; this time Manuel Junglas who squared for Christopher Nöthe, ghosting in from the far post, yet on this occasion the effort hit the back stanchion and Leipzig lived from another day. Coltorti was proving a real asset for die Bullen throughout the first period, as the Swiss stopper made yet another top draw save - this time to deny Fabian Klos. die Bullen plying their trade as team of individuals, rather than a collective group.
After wasting a series of good chances, partly down to poor finishing and the heroics of Coltorti, the individual brilliance of RB Leipzig showed as star striker Davie Selke powered them into the lead. The Arminia Bielefeld defence failed to adequately deal with a rather nondescript aerial ball and the follow up was collected by Diego Demme. The former SC Paderborn man, on his birthday, poked the ball through to Selke who struck the ball between the legs of Wolfgang Hesl and sent the traveling fans from Saxony into jubilance. Norbert Meier and his side left to rue their wasted chances.
die Roten Bullen dominance
Spurred on by their late half exploits, die Bullen came out all guns blazing for the beginning of the second period. Davie Selke nearly nicked a rather fortuitous second with his deflected cut-back, but Wolfgang Hesl was able to recover and with a mixture of glove and post steer the ball for a corner.
The issue of the flanks was a non-entity in the second period; Ralf Rangnick surely will have targeted this problem and his plan was coming to fruition as die Arminen were of little concern in the attacking third during the second period. Willi Orban acquitted himself superbly at the beginning of the half, battling with Klos and coming out on top the majority of occasions as the Arminia Bielefeld figure became an isolated figure.
With the imputous the Selke goal had given them and the resulting dominance die Bullen were close to sealing the game and they would have hadn't it been for the tremendous work of Stephan Salger. The former VfL Osnabrück man following what seemed to be a hopeless cause as a further Selke effort looked destined for the net, yet Salger was at hand to clip the ball away from perhaps an unassailable lead.
Arminia Bielefeld, at the opposite end could offer was a miscued corner. Brian Behrendt placing an inch perfect ball onto the head of Julian Börner - who despite having a promising spot to get a good effort on Fabio Coltorti's goal got under the ball and the chance was gone.
The hosts would have one final chance to salvage a late point and it fell to the one man all Arminia Bielefeld fans would hope, Fabian Klos. The man who has been at the Schüco Arena for over five seasons now found himself one on one with the Swiss stopper, Coltorti. The moment seemed set, a dramatic late equaliser for Norbert Meier's side, yet the RB Leipzig 'keeper stood firm and saved Klos' effort. die Roten Bullen content to see out the rest of the game and earn a very hard fought three points, that on another day may have been markedly less.