RB Leipzig bounced back from last week’s defeat to Stuttgart in emphatic fashion, dismantling Hoffenheim 5-0 at the Red Bull Arena to jump into the Bundesliga’s top four and reignite their Champions League qualification bid.
Hoffenheim made a bright start but Leipzig weathered the early pressure and broke the deadlock against the run of play. Yan Diomande’s threatening runs down the left created space for others, and when Romulo Cardoso’s shot produced a weak save from Oliver Baumann, Brajan Gruda was on hand to tap into the empty net.
Leipzig then put the game to bed quickly. Just four minutes later, Christoph Baumgartner headed home David Raum’s cross for his first ever goal involvement against his former club. The Austrian doubled his tally on the half-hour with an acrobatic finish after taking Gruda’s cross in stride with an outstanding first touch. A fourth goal arrived before half-time as Diomande drove down the left, combined with Nicolas Seiwald, and squared for Gruda to slot home at the far post. A fifth Diomande effort was ruled out by VAR before the interval.
Hoffenheim offered little after the break, and Leipzig rounded off a perfect evening when Benjamin Henrichs, recently returned from a long-term Achilles injury, scored his first goal since August 2023 to complete the rout.
The victory extends Leipzig’s unbeaten home record in Friday Bundesliga fixtures to 10 games. For Hoffenheim, it was only a second defeat in seven away matches, and they will hope to recover quickly when the season resumes after the international break.
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