'We weren't two goals worse than Liverpool', says Nagelsmann after defeat
Feb 17, 2021
Budapest [Hungary], February 17 : RB Leipzig head coach Julian Nagelsmann is disappointed with his team for failing to make the most of the chances they created in the game against Liverpool which eventually cost them the match.
Liverpool secured a 2-0 win over RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie here on Wednesday. Despite the defeat, Nagelsmann said his team played a "great game" and "weren't two goals worse than Liverpool."
"We played a great game in the second half and created a lot of chances. Of course, we made two big mistakes, which get punished at this level. What's worse is that we didn't make the most of our chances - we have to put more emphasis on that than the two mistakes," the club's official website quoted Nagelsmann as saying.
"Mistakes are a part of the game and unfortunately they happen in this sport. Overall, though, it was still a good game from us. We weren't two goals worse than Liverpool. But we'll have to make up for those two goals in the second leg to get at least to extra time. We'll take it as 0-0 again and we want to try and take one or two chances," he added.
Nagelsmann said that in the second leg, they cannot afford to make any more mistakes. "We can't afford to make any more mistakes. We've earned the respect of Liverpool today. Their two goals were nothing outstanding. We brought them on ourselves," the head coach said.
During the match, Dani Olmo almost gave RB Leipzig the lead in the fifth minute. His diving header hit the inside of the post and bounced clear. With both clubs giving each other a tough fight, the first half of the match witnessed no goals from either side.
In the 47th minute, Christopher Nkunku found himself one-on-one with Alisson Becker but the Liverpool goalkeeper produced a strong save to keep the game scoreless.
Mohamed Salah gave the Reds the lead eight minutes into the second half when he latched onto a loose backpass and scored a stunning goal. Minutes later, Leipzig's shaky backline was punished once again, with Sadio Mane giving Liverpool a two-goal lead and the match concluded on the same.
Liverpool and RB Leipzig will play against each other in the second leg on March 11.
