Berlin, Feb 10 First-half goals from Benjamin Sesko and Xavi Simons helped RB Leipzig to a 2-0 win over St. Pauli in the Bundesliga.
Leipzig controlled proceedings from kick-off, but it was St. Pauli who looked the more threatening in the early stages, with Jackson Irvine forcing goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi into action after just three minutes.
Gulacsi continued to be called into action, tipping Castello Lukeba's miscued clearance onto the woodwork to prevent an own goal on 16 minutes, reports Xinhua.
However, it was the home side who broke the deadlock moments later after Xavi found Sesko, who beat David Nemeth in the box before firing home into the bottom-right corner.
Leipzig piled on the pressure and doubled its advantage on 35 minutes when Sesko's good work allowed Xavi to slot home from 11 meters.
St. Pauli almost halved the deficit in the dying seconds of the first half when Noah Weisshaupt struck the crossbar.
After the restart, Leipzig's Willi Orban weakened his side when he was red carded for a professional foul on Elias Saad in the 69th minute. The resulting free kick from Eric Smith went dangerously close, but it was the last clear-cut chance until the final minutes.
Gulacsi was up to the task again in the closing stages, saving long-range efforts from Johannes Eggestein and Hauke Wahl in stoppage time to secure a 2-0 win on home soil.
The result sees Leipzig return to winning ways and strengthen its grip on fourth place, while St. Pauli slips to 14th.
"We took the lead but then conceded, it's frustrating. We were playing well up to that point, but after Leipzig's opener, we lost our rhythm. In the second half, we threw everything at them, created a few more chances, but it just wasn't enough. You could really see Leipzig's quality today, but we will pick up the points elsewhere," rued St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin.
"We dominated the first half, stayed patient, and showed great determination to build a 2-0 lead before the break. All in all, a solid performance and a well-deserved win for us," said Leipzig coach Marco Rose.
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga on Sunday, Holstein Kiel was held to a 2-2 draw by Bochum in a relegation six-pointer.
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