Las Palmas concludes its preseason with a defeat against Leipzig (3-0)
UD Las Palmas wrapped up its summer preparations on Saturday with a friendly loss against RB Leipzig (3-0). The yellow team was the special guest in the presentation of the reigning German Cup champions, who were also finalizing their preparations for the German Supercup. In the final starting lineup of the preseason, coach García Pimienta fielded a mix of players from the previous season along with Javi Muñoz, the only new signing of the current season selected for the initial lineup at the Red Bull Arena.
The last summer friendly quickly became an uphill battle for the Gran Canaria players. Leipzig pressed intensely and managed to regain possession in their attacking zone. The initial chances fell to their top scorer, Timo Werner, but both shots were denied by Álvaro Valles. The goalkeeper from La Rinconada intervened to keep the score at 0-0, with Pejiño and Sandro also testing the home goalkeeper during that phase of the match.
However, Openda scored twice to make it 2-0 for Leipzig before halftime. Both goals from the Belgian striker followed defensive errors: indecision and a loss of possession. Leipzig seized on these recoveries to launch rapid attacks, successfully executed by their sharpshooter.
Las Palmas endeavored until the final whistle to find the reward of a goal that would at least reflect the collective efforts on the field. Yet again, Leipzig struck in the second half, securing their third goal with a header from their towering forward Sesko, beating the defenders and the visiting goalkeeper.
There was hardly any contest until the end. García Pimienta brought in all the field players from the bench, though he had to replace Alberto Moleiro earlier than planned. The discomfort of the Tenerife midfielder marked the last note of an unfortunate afternoon.
Lineups:
Leipzig: Blaswich, Henrichs, Simakan, Orban, Raum, Forsberg, Haidara, Schlager, Dani Olmo, Werner, and Openda.
Substitutes: Zingerle (gk), Bitshiabu, Poulsen, Seiwald, Carvalho, Simons, Moriba, Sesko, Novoa, and Kampl.
Las Palmas: Valles, Álvaro Lemos, Álex Suárez, Saúl Coco, Sergi Cardona, Loiodice, Kirian, Javi Muñoz, Jonathan Viera, Pejiño, and Sandro.
Substitutes in the second half: Escandell (gk), Sinkgraven, Moleiro, Marc Cardona, Eric Curbelo, Munir, Julián Araujo, Cristian Herrera, Benito, Juanma Herzog, and Iñaki.
Goals: 1-0, 23rd min. Openda. 2-0, 34th min. Openda. 3-0, 55th min. Sesko.
Referee: Alexander Sather, assisted by Hempl and Ostrin. Yellow cards for Alex Suárez, Sergi Cardona, Marc Cardona, and Sinkgraven (Las Palmas).
Details: UD Las Palmas' final preseason match, presented officially by RB Leipzig to its fans. 15,134 spectators.
