RB Leipzig 1-1 Freiburg: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Hosts Are Left to Rue Wasteful Finishing

It was weird - really weird in fact - but the Bundesliga finally returned this afternoon with RB Leipzig playing out an exciting 1-1 draw with Freiburg inside an eerily quiet Red Bull Arena.

Leipzig started the game brightly with Konrad Laimer firing just wide inside two minutes. They continued to dominate in the first half with Timo Werner - seemingly a target for every top club in Europe - looking bright.

However, against the run of play Freiburg took a shock lead when Vincenzo Grifo's corner was cheekily flicked in at the front post by Manuel Gulde in the 34th minute.

Ademola Lookman's frustrating campaign continued after half time with the former Everton man spurning a fantastic opportunity to equalise just after the break. Leipzig continued to miss some great chances before Yussuf Poulsen finally nodded home an equaliser 13 minutes from time.

There was still time for some more drama before the final whistle though with our old friend VAR ruling out a last minute Freiburg winner due to offside.

Here's 90min's break down of a historic occasion in Leipzig.

RB Leipzig

Key Talking Point

This wasn't just an thoroughly entertaining game of football, it was also a vitally important moment in the history of this pandemic.

Football media is guilty of existing in a self-centred bubble at times and it's easy to forget that the Bundesliga's return has not been universally supported in Germany. Therefore, the stringency and seriousness with which the safety measures were adhered to in this game was a relief and should convince doubters that the sportcan return safely when the time is right across the continent.

Face masks were as prominent as mentions to Timo Werner's imminent arrival to the Premier League on BT Sport's commentary, and social distancing was rigorously observed whenever possible.

In terms of the game itself, the result is an hammerblow to Leipzig's title hopes and their failure to win will be even harder to take as their performance was fairly impressive.

Despite their lengthy break from playing and the absence of energy from the crowd to draw on, Julian Nagelsmann's player were full of vigour going forward and had more than 20 shots on goal. It was only wasteful finishing and resolute defending from the visitors that denied them three points.

Excuses are irrelavant though and the hard truth is that Leipzig cannot afford to be dropping points at home if they stand any chance of securing an unlikely Bundesliga title.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Gulacsi (5); Mukiele (6), Klostermann (6), Adams (5), Halstenberg (6), Tasende (6); Kampl (6), Laimer (7); Nkunku (6), Werner (7), Poulsen (7)

Substitutes: Lookman (5), Schick (5), Sabitzer (6)

Timo Werner

It was very much a case of picking up where he left off for Timo Werner this afternoon and he will be desperately disappointed not to have scored.

Werner was a constant threat, stretching the Freiburg defence and showcasing his ability as one of the most complete forwards in Europe.

Freiburg

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Schwolow (7); Schmid (7), Gulde (6), Lienhart (7), Heintz (7), Gunter (6); Hofler (6), Koch (6); Sallai (5), Peterson (5), Grifo (7)

Substitutes: Holer (6), Haberer (6), Waldschmidt (6), Schlotterbeck (6)

Looking Ahead

Leipzig travel to struggling Mainz next Sunday as they aim to keep their title hopes alive. Freiburg, on the other hand, host relegation threatened Werder Bremen one day earlier.