With his first goal in RB Leipzig kit, Max Finkgräfe opened the scoring in a commanding 3-1 win against Union Berlin. But it was also an emotional goal for him for another reason, as it made him think of his late grandfather.
The fifth win in a row for RB Leipzig against Union Berlin (3:1) was once again a statement victory for the Saxons, who took another big step towards the top flight. Eight points now separate RB from fifth place for the time being – with just three matches remaining. This means they can now “sit back”, as Max Finkgräfe put it, after the opening game of matchday 31, as the Saxons have pulled away from their rivals Stuttgart, Hoffenheim and Leverkusen for the time being.
“We’ll see at the end how big the step is today. These points are really important to get ahead on Friday evening,“ coach Ole Werner said on Sky, before tempering expectations again: ”But there are still difficult tasks ahead of us and in the end you’ve only ever achieved the goal if you’ve actually crossed the finish line.”
Romulo, the scorer of the 2:0 goal, was a little more daring and spoke of the “pressure on the team” to reach the Champions League. After all, that was “why he came here in the summer”.
Left-back Finkgräfe opened the door to this victory in the first place with a great direct shot in the ninth minute. It was an emotional goal for the 22-year-old, who was able to play from the start for the second game in a row due to the injury to captain David Raum – and not just because it was his debut goal for RB: “I honestly dreamed of it,” said Finkgräfe. “The goal goes to my late grandpa and I hope he’s happy.” He not only got him into soccer, but also gave him the advice that he should “just go for it, only then can goals be scored”. That’s exactly what Finkgräfe did.
Finkgräfe, who had to miss the start of the season after moving from Cologne to Leipzig due to a knee injury and then only made sporadic appearances, sees himself as having undergone “extreme development. That was exactly my goal.”
His coach is also positive about the fact that young players are always developing. “You’re not going to play through the season with eleven or 14 players, but you really need every single one of them in a season with the goals we have,” said Werner.
However, not everyone at the club seems to know exactly what Finkgräfe can do. “I didn’t even know he had such a degree,” said Willi Orban, for example, with a twinkle in his eye. “I didn’t think he could do that.” Nevertheless, he acknowledged that he had scored an “incredibly important goal”.
Direct rival in front of the chest
At least one more win will probably be needed to secure a place in the top flight after a season without international participation. Next up is a direct rival with the away game at Bayer Leverkusen next Saturday (3.30 pm) – followed by St. Pauli (H) and finally SC Freiburg (A). Before that, however, the Saxons can put their feet up, according to Finkgräfe: “Nobody had to ask for two days off, the coach wanted time off himself.”
