Late Leipzig beats Basaksehir 4-3 in Champions League

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This article was published 02/12/2020 (2103 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ISTANBUL – Substitute Alexander Sörloth scored in injury time for Leipzig to beat Istanbul Basaksehir 4-3 on Wednesday and boost its chances of advancing to the Champions League knockout rounds.

I?rfan Can Kahveci scored a hat trick as Basaksehir twice came from behind to make it 3-3 with five minutes remaining, but Sörloth first hit the post when a rebound hit his face in the last minute, then fired in the winner in the second minute of injury time.

It was the Norway striker’s first goal for Leipzig since he joined in the off-season from Turkish team Trabzonspor.

“Of course I’m happy about my first goal. It’s always important” said Sörloth, who hadn’t scored in eight Bundesliga appearances. “It almost had to happen in Istanbul.”

Leipzig moved level with Group H leader Manchester United on nine points ahead of the English team’s home game against Paris Saint-Germain later. PSG was on six points ahead of the late game.

Leipzig hosts United and PSG welcomes Basaksehir for the final round of games on Dec. 8.

Leipzig pressured from the start in Istanbul. Emil Forsberg went close early on and Mert Gu¨nok produced good saves to deny Nordi Mukiele and Yussuf Poulsen, before Boli Bolingoli got back in time to block Forsberg’s shot in the 18th.

The visitors finally made the breakthrough in the 26th, when Marcel Sabitzer’s shot took a decisive deflection off Yussuf Poulsen on its way in.

Basaksehir suffered a further blow when Bolingoli went off with a knee injury in the 36th, but still almost equalized a minute later, when Demba Ba drew a fine save from Pe´ter Gula´csi.

Forsberg set up Nordi Mukiele to make it 2-0 in the 43rd, but there was still time before the break for Basaksehir’s Kahveci to pull one back in first-half injury time.

Defender Dayot Upamecano was booked in the 53rd, ruling him out of Leipzig’s final group game against United.

Edin Vis?c´a and Forsberg missed chances at either end, before Dani Olmo scored for Leipzig in the 66th. The goal was made in Spain, with Angelin~o setting up his Spanish compatriot to go past Carlos Ponck before sweeping the ball inside the near post.

But Kahveci scored again in the 72nd, again with a curling shot – this time from outside the penalty area – inside the far post. Angelin~o was too slow in closing down the 25-year-old’s space.

Kahveci equalized with a free kick in off the underside of the crossbar in the 85th, but Sörloth had the final say in a frenetic finale.

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