BERLIN: Benjamin Sesko and Xavi Simons scored first-half goals as RB Leipzig beat St Pauli 2-0 on Sunday to climb to fourth in the Bundesliga table.

The duo assisted each other’s goals as Leipzig secured their first league win in almost a month.

Simons put Sesko into space on the counter-attack, before the latter calmly cut inside a defender and slotted the ball into the bottom corner to give the hosts a 16th-minute lead.

Sesko returned the favour 10 minutes before half-time, pulling the ball back for Simons to fire home from inside the area.

The hosts were able to close out the win despite the 69th-minute sending off of captain Willi Orban for a last-man foul on St Pauli’s Elias Saad.

Leipzig now sit one point clear of fifth-placed VfB Stu­t­­tgart, with Freiburg two points further adrift in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Promoted St Pauli still sit seven points clear of the relegation play-off place with 13 games remaining.

Earlier, two goals in three first-half minutes from Myron Boadu took Bochum to a 2-2 draw at Holstein Kiel in a basement clash.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2025