Diomande dazzles as Leipzig go two points behind Bayern

RB Leipzig’s teenage forward Yan Diomande scored one goal and forced another as his side beat Stuttgart 3-1 at home on Saturday to move to two points behind Bayern Munich. Leipzig returned to second spot after Dortmund had leapfrogged the Red Bulls with a 1-0 win at Augsburg on Friday. Leipzig and Stuttgart enjoyed several chances in an exciting opening half before Diomande forced a breakthrough just before halftime. The 18-year-old Ivorian dribbled down the right and delivered a low cross which Stuttgart defender Jeff Chabot turned into his own net.

Eight minutes into the second half, Diomande danced through three Stuttgart defenders before blasting a low shot into the bottom corner. Tiago Tomas scored for Stuttgart to cut Leipzig’s lead but Romelo made sure of the win when he pounced on a error from visiting goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel and tapped home. Leipzig were thumped 6-0 by Bayern in their league opener but since then have claimed 22 of a possible 24 points i n the league.

League leaders Bayern can return the gap to five points with a win at home against Bayer Leverkusen later on Saturday. Diomande was one of an array of talented newcomers to join Leipzig in the summer as the club focused on youth in Jurgen Klopp’s first transfer window as football coordinator of Leipzig’s parent company Red Bull. E i n t r a c h t Frankfurt’s struggles continued with a 1-1 draw at lastplaced Heidenheim, days after Dortmund booted them out of the German Cup. Frankfurt’s Danish defender Rasmus Kristensen scored in the second half to cancel out Budu Zivzivadze’s opener. The draw leaves Eintracht in sixth, having won just once in their past seven matches in all competitions. Union Berlin and Freiburg played out a scoreless draw in the German capital, with both sides having goals struck off by VAR. Elsewhere, Borussia Moenchengladbach won their first match of the season with a double from Haris Tabakovic in a 4-0 victory at St Pauli. Jens Stage scored an equaliser with four minutes left as Werder Bremen snatched a 1-1 draw at lowly Mainz.