Xavi Simons put in another stellar performance on Saturday afternoon after RB Leipzig dismantled Augsburg in the Bundesliga. The Dutchman opened the scoring in the sixth minute, before assisting Loïs Openda just five minutes later as the Saxony club moved to within one point of leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Simons, on loan from PSG, ghosted inside the Augsburg penalty area unmarked and pulled off a superb diving header. He then found Openda between two Augsburg defenders, with the Belgian slotting the ball beyond Finn Dahmen to put Leipzig into a 2-0 lead after 11 minutes. From then on, the tie was never in doubt.
But it’s the performance of Simons (20) in this Marco Rose system that has seen people rave about the youngster. Simons completed 85% of his passes against Augsburg, completing a key pass, and also completed 100% of his dribbles. In four Bundesliga games, Simons has scored three and created four while averaging 1.5 key passes per 90.
Lighting up the Bundesliga, Simons, per Opta, has been directly involved in seven goals in his first four Bundesliga games, with only Erling Haaland and Paco Alcacer being involved in as many goals in their first four Bundesliga games. If the Dutchman carries on, and continues to build on his growing relationship with Openda, Leipzig just might challenge Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title come May.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
