BERLIN, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ten-man Union suffered its first loss of the season after Benjamin Sesko delivered a late brace, sealing a 3-0 victory for Leipzig on the road at the close of the Bundesliga's third round on Sunday.
Both teams began the top clash with high motivation, exchanging attacks. Union's Kevin Volland narrowly missed from distance, while Frederik Ronnow deflected Yussuf Poulsen's shot over the bar. For the remainder of the first half, scoring opportunities were scarce as both defenses held strong.
The Red Bulls started the second half aggressively. Xavi Simons capitalized on Benjamin Henrichs' square pass, driving the ball past Ronnow from the edge of the box into the top right corner. The situation deteriorated for the Eisernen, who hadn't suffered a home defeat since February 2022, when Volland was sent off for a harsh foul on Mohamed Simakan.
Leipzig intensified their attack, with Ronnow facing long-range attempts from Dani Olmo and Henrichs. Union couldn't fend off Leipzig's advances, as Sesko secured the win with two rapid goals. The Slovenian executed a counterattack with a well-placed turn shot in the 85th minute. Just two minutes later, Olmo chipped the ball to Sesko, who headed it past Ronnow for his second goal.
"We played well in the first half, but we knew it is going to be a close game. It is always tough to play against Union. We scored a beautiful goal and scored more goals in the right moments," said Leipzig coach Marco Rose.
"It was an evenly balanced encounter without a lot of clearcut opportunities. Leipzig was clinical in front of the target. We conceded an early goal in the second half and had to swallow a red card. It is then nearly impossible to get back," said Union coach Urs Fischer.
In other matches, Eintracht Frankfurt managed a late 1-1 draw as newcomer Niels Nkounkou scored his debut goal in the final moments, stunning Cologne. ■
