RBL At Home: 21 Games, 13 Wins, 46 Goals!

In the books!

The 2023/24 season at the Red Bull Arena is over. Almost 940,000 fans were in the stands at the Red Bulls’ home games in the Bundesliga and Champions League. The season began in August last year with a win and ended in May with a draw.

Back then, RB Leipzig won their first home game 5-1 against VfB Stuttgart, and in early summer our boys said goodbye to you with a 1-1 draw against Werder Bremen. If it were up to us, the next season could start this weekend.

But until we see each other again in August (23 to 25 August), we want to take a quick look at all 21 home games.

This is how our year went in our stadium!

46 goals in 21 home games

From the end of August 2023 to mid-May 2024, we played 21 home games. Our boys scored 46 goals in the Red Bull Arena, and only four times we came away empty-handed. In total, coach Marco Rose’s team celebrated 13 home wins.
We really let it rip twice. In the very first home game, on the 2nd Bundesliga matchday, we managed a 5-1 victory against VfB Stuttgart. On the 9th matchday, we recorded a 6-0 victory against 1. FC Köln.

And we are taking a great series with us into the coming season. We have been unbeaten at home in the Bundesliga since January 20th (seven games, six wins).

The Key Stats 23/24

21 Home games
13 Wins
4 Draws
4 Defeats
46:18 Goals
8x Clean sheets

The Ballers

The best goalscorer in the Red Bull Arena was Lois Openda with 13 goals. Our number 17 scored in twelve home games, including a brace in the 6-0 win against Cologne. Xavi and Benjamin Sesko followed in second and third place. The trio were thus involved in more than half of all RBL goals at home.

Our Top Goal Scorers

Lois Openda (13 Goals)
Benjamin Sesko (6 Goals)
Xavi (6 Goals)

3 Wins, 3 Stories

There’s no question that, thanks to our strength in our own home, we’ll be playing in the Champions League again next year!
We have selected three special victories for you, each with its own storyline.

Gulacsi and Orban back in the starting eleven

Four games without a win, three defeats in a row. Around the turn of the year we had what was probably our most difficult phase of the season. Things started to improve again until February 4th, from that Sunday onwards. Could that have something to do with the return of two cornerstones?
Because Peter Gulacsi and Willi Orban returned to the pitch. Pete made his comeback in the Bundesliga after an incredible 491 days (one year and four months), Willi was back in the starting eleven after 154 days (five months). And the presence of the two veterans obviously inspired our entire team.

In the eleventh minute, Lois Openda scored an early goal to make it 1-0 with a rebound from a tight angle. Only Union goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow prevented a bigger deficit in the first 45 minutes. Shortly after the break, RBL was rewarded for its efforts for the second time. Benjamin Sesko headed a free kick from David Raum over the line (48th minute). We didn’t let anything else happen after that and were finally able to celebrate again.

Back on track | RBL beats Union

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Bundesliga | Matchday 20 | February 4, 2022

RB Leipzig – Union Berlin | 2:0
Goals: 1:0 Lois Openda (11.), 2:0 Benjamin Sesko (48.)

RBL Starting XI:
Gulacsi – Henrichs, Klostermann, Orban (C, 70. Castello Jr.), Raum (85. Bitshiabu) – Kampl (85. Seiwald), Schlager – Olmo (77. Elmas), Xavi – Openda (77. Poulsen), Sesko

FCU Starting XI:
Schwolow – Knoche, Vogt, Doekhi – Trimmel (C), Tousart (58. Khedira), Gosens – Schäfer (58. Laidouni), Haberer (58. Volland) – Vertessen (75. Bedia), Hollerbach (75. Aaronson)

Two RBL records on Ralph Hasenhüttl’s Return

In football, paths cross again and again. If you have a special bond with a certain person, the reunion is warm. Like with Ralph Hasenhüttl. We began our journey in the Bundesliga in the 2016/17 season with the Austrian, who had only been introduced to the coaching bench at VfL Wolfsburg a few weeks earlier. The 57-year-old worked at Cottaweg for two years. In the first year, he led us into the Champions League as a newly promoted team in second place, and in the second year we finished sixth.
But the points on April 13th remained in Leipzig. Dani Olmo scored in the 13th minute after a fine turn from a distance. Then RBL worked for a long time on the second goal. In the 68th minute, things happened quickly again: Xavi served Benjamin Sesko on the run, a placed shot – it’s in!

And of course, one of them couldn’t be missed: Lois Openda first outwitted an opponent and then slotted home the final goal to make it 3-0 (82′). At the same time, our goalscorer also set a new club record, as he scored in 18 different games this season. And games 19 and 20 were still to come…

By the way: In their fifth home game in a row, RB Leipzig kept a clean sheet at home – setting an RBL Bundesliga home record!

Magic against the wolves

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Bundesliga | Matchday 29 | April 13, 2024

RB Leipzig – VfL Wolfsburg | 3:0
Goals: 1:0 Dani Olmo (13.), 2:0 Benjamin Sesko (68.), 3:0 Lois Openda (82.)

RBL Starting XI:
Gulacsi – Simakan (78. Klostermann), Orban (C), Castello Jr., Henrichs – Haidara (86. Elmas), Schlager (76. Seiwald) – Xavi, Olmo – Openda (86. Bitshiabu), Sesko (76. Baumgartner)

WOB Starting XI:
Pervan – Fischer (66. Maehle), Bornauw, Zesiger, Jenz (55. Svanberg), Gerhardt – Arnold, Vranckx – Baku (79. Tomas), Sarr (55. Majer) – Behrens (79. Wind)

Openda and Sesko score: More records during the goal gala during the top match

Big points in the battle for the Champions League! At the end of April, Borussia Dortmund visited the trade fair city. And the fourth-placed Red Bulls want to keep their closest rivals from the Ruhr region at bay. Mission accomplished!
The guests even took the lead at the start. Jadon Sancho scored with a shot into the corner (20). But the direct response was to follow: Lois Openda put his foot in an outside-of-the-foot cross from Xavi to make it 1:1. Was that the same at half-time? No. Because after a corner was blocked, Xaver Schlager plucked up the courage. BVB keeper Gregor Kobel parried the shot from distance and Benjamin Sesko thanked him in stoppage time in the first half. This meant that the Leipzig strike duo had scored at least once each in their fourth game in a row.

The 47,069 spectators in the sold-out Red Bull Arena had only just returned to their seats after the restart when the “I feel good” goal anthem rang out again. Our counterattacks became too quick for the visitors, and again it went through Xavi and Lois Openda. He crossed the ball again in the penalty area to Mohamed Simakan and it was 3:1.

Ten minutes before the end, Christoph Baumgartner made it clear in front of the goal after a pass from Benjamin Henrichs. It was “Baumi’s” fourth goal as a substitute and our 13th overall – both league bests!

Goal fest against BVB

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Bundesliga | Matchday 31 | April 27, 2024

RB Leipzig – Borussia Dortmund | 4:1
Goals: 0:1 Jadon Sancho (20.), Lois 1:1 Openda (23.), 2:1 Benjamin Sesko (45.+2), 3:1 Mohamed Simakan (46.), 4:1 Christoph Baumgartner (80.)

RBL Starting XI:
Gulacsi – Simakan (51. Henrichs), Orban (C), Castello Jr., Raum – Haidara (87. Seiwald), Schlager (88. Kampl) – Xavi, Olmo – Openda (88. Klostermann), Sesko (70. Baumgartner)

BVB Starting XI:
Kobel (C) – Wolf, Hummels (51. Süle), Schlotterbeck, Ryerson (71. Moukoko) – Özcan (63. Bynoe-Gittens) – Brandt, Nmecha – Sancho, Füllkrug, Adeyemi (46. Reus)