Timo Werner scored a hat-trick against Mainz for the second time this season as RB Leipzig reclaimed third spot in the Bundesliga with a resounding 5-0 victory at the Opel Arena on Sunday.
Werner, who scored three goals in November’s 8-0 thrashing of Mainz, set Leipzig on their way inside 11 minutes, slotting home his 22nd league goal of the season from Konrad Laimer’s brilliant cross.
Werner applied the finishing touch to a slick team move within three minutes of the restart and, after spurning a host of chances, eventually sealed the hat-trick with a lofted finish over Mainz goalkeeper Florian Muller with the 24th goal of his impressive Bundesliga campaign.
The treble saw Werner hit the 30-goal mark in all competitions for Leipzig this term and reignited Julian Nagelsmann’s team’s challenge for Champions League qualification with a victory that left them seven points off leaders Bayern Munich.
Player ratings
Mainz: Muller (4), Bruma (4), St, Juste (4), Niakhate (5), Baku (5), Malong (5), Fernandes (5), Martin Caricol (4), Boetius (5), Quaison (5), Onisiwo (5).
Subs: Latza (5), Oztunali (5), Mateta (6), Awoniyi (6), Martins (5).
RB Leipzig: Gulacsi (7), Klostermann (7), Upamecano (7), Halstenberg (7), Laimer (7), Sabitzer (8), Nkunku (7), Kampl (8), Olmo (8), Werner (9), Poulsen (8).
Subs: Orban (5), Adams (5), Lookman (5), Wolf (5), Mukiele (6).
Man of the Match: Timo Werner
It took just a little over 10 minutes for Leipzig to hit the front, full-back Laimer’s driving run left two Mainz defenders trailing in his wake and his inch-perfect cross was dispatched by Werner, who found the net for the first time since February.
Leipzig’s superiority yielded a second on 23 minutes, with Poulsen powering Sabitzer’s cross through the defences of Muller in the Mainz goa
