BERLIN: Leipzig secured their third club title after beating hosts Bayern Munich 3-0 courtesy of Dani Olmo’s hat trick at the 2023 Supercup.
The Red Bulls caught a fairy tale start on the road as Olmo broke the deadlock with only three minutes played when he tapped home a low cross from a central position inside the box, reports Xinhua.
Bayern responded well but neither Serge Gnabry nor Mathys Tel could beat Leipzig goalkeeper Janis Blaswich from promising positions.
The hosts kept it going and were unlucky at the half-hour mark as Leipzig defender Mohamed Simakan almost scored an own goal with a miscued clearance.
Clinical Leipzig doubled their lead and stunned Bayern out of thin air as Timo Werner’s through ball allowed Olmo to beat Bayern custodian Sven Ulreich from close range just before the break.
Bayern came out with their guns blazing after the restart, but Leroy Sane’s long-range effort went narrowly wide while Blaswhich was again equal to Tel’s shot on target at the hour mark.
However, eight minutes later things went from bad to worse for the German record champions as Noussair Mazraoui caused a handball penalty allowing Olmo to seal his hat trick and the win from the spot. The Bavarians pressed frenetically but Leipzig’s defence stood firm to snatch the second Supercup in the club’s history.
“The team staged an amazing performance. We ran and pressed a lot as we know Bayern likes to dominate possession. In the end, we won the game. We wanted to lift this trophy and there is no better way to start the season,” said Olmo.
“This game is a repetition from our last match against Leipzig. It looks like we haven’t been on the pitch for the last four weeks. I have no explanation for what happened tonight. I have seen the boys in the other test matches and there is a huge discrepancy from what I have seen today. It is a bitter night for us as we didn’t look good at all,” said Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel. (IANS)
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