Having rescued a point in a dramatic 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend, Leipzig were in Austria hoping to close out their Champions League campaign with three points and another morale-boosting display. The match started tentatively, with play frequently breaking down in the midfield. Christoph Baumgartner and Antonio Nusa were the standouts in a much-changed Leipzig XI in the first half. Nicolas Seiwald bombarded Graz with a flurry of corners and set-pieces, but none of them tested Kjell Scherpen in the Graz goal. The hosts grew into the game, seizing their biggest chance as Malić crept in at the back post to get on the end of a corner, breaking the deadlock from close range. Baumgartner and Lutsharel Geertruida combined minutes later as Leipzig looked to respond, but Scherpen saved Geertruida’s initial attempt, and his teammate sent the rebound over the bar.
The second half began much the same as the first ended; with Leipzig dominating possession but failing to make anything of it. Much of their play lacked its usual precision and sharpness, with the visitors opting to go long to Yussuf Poulsen all too frequently, to no avail. Things soon appeared to go from bad to worse for Leipzig, as William Bøving thought he had doubled the host’s advantage just after the hour mark. The attempt was disallowed by the VAR for a foul in the build-up, however. Rose made a flurry of changes inside five minutes to try and find a way back into the game, bringing on regular starters in David Raum, Xavi and Benjamin Šeško. Yet it was the Austrian side who played with bravery and attacking intent, creating chances at every opportunity. In the final ten minutes, Graz stood off their visitors, enduring prolonged spells of pressure, but their defence held. Beaten but unbowed, Die Roten Bullen will look to pick up in the Bundesliga when they face Union Berlin this weekend.