BERLIN, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Andre Silva's second-half brace helped RB Leipzig take their first points in UEFA Champions League Group F after seeing off Celtic 3-1 on Wednesday.
The Red Bulls staged a lively opening period on home soil as Christopher Nkunku pulled wide from a promising position with only two minutes gone.
Leipzig had to make some early changes as goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi suffered a knee injury after a return pass and had to be taken off.
The hosts thought they had broken the deadlock in the 18th minute, but Nkunku's goal was ruled offside by VAR.
Celtic responded well as Leipzig's back-up goalie Janis Blaswich had to be on guard to deny Kyogo Furuhashi in the 24th minute before the Japan international missed the target two minutes later.
Just when Celtic were about to take over, Leipzig broke the deadlock in the 27th minute through Nkunku, who rounded custodian Joe Hart and tapped home from a tight angle.
The visitors shocked Leipzig immediately after the restart as Furuhashi's square pass following a counterattack allowed Jota to restore parity into the top-right corner.
Leipzig almost took the lead again at the hour mark but Dominik Szoboszlai rattled the woodwork after Timo Werner's good build-up work.
The hosts eventually retook the lead four minutes later when Szoboszlai intercepted Hart's pass before passing into the path of Silva, who beat Hart from close range.
Leipzig increased the pressure and doubled their advantage 77 minutes into the game as Silva wrapped his brace after latching onto Mohamed Simakan's pinpoint cross to the far post.
The third goal broke Celtic's resistance and sealed the deal for the Red Bulls, who clinched their first three points of their Champions League campaign.
"We convinced as a team and ran a lot. We wanted to get back into the game quickly after we conceded the 1-1 draw, and we did that. The victory is a relief for us," said Leipzig striker Silva. ■
