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'Leipzig win great for the city' | Niall Quinn on Champions League

Despite some opposition back in the homeland, Niall Quinn believes RB Leipzig reaching the Champi...



Despite some opposition back in the homeland, Niall Quinn believes RB Leipzig reaching the Champions League semi-final is great for their city.

Leipzig triumphed 2-1 over Atletico Madrid in the second of the four quarter-finals in the mini-tournament set by UEFA in Lisbon.

Speaking on Virgin Media Sport's coverage of the Champions League, the former Republic of Ireland striker referenced the historical struggles for the Eastern German region.

"Leipzig is a city that was part of Eastern Germany, in the unification of Germany it didn't get the buzz that other cities got in terms of its football.

"Lokomotive Leipzig kind of folded, and the people and the fans have backed this club in the last number of years. You know that by the gates that they have got and the stadium they play in.

"It is great for their city and they long for that. I'll say it's great to see. A lot of Germany people think it is a project. A lot of rival clubs will say that there is no history there, that it is not part of the fabric of the league. But I think there are a lot of people in one city in Germany that disagree."

Keith Andrews was a fan of the how the German side managed to counter an Atletico Madrid team that many fancied to win the competition.

"I just admired the way they set up from the off, what they tried to do. I think with young players, you are going to get mistakes throughout a season. But tonight, in terms of the game plan, it was pretty impressive.

"To stifle a team like Atletico Madrid, even when they win the ball back, Atletico are normally very good at keeping possession. They didn't allow them, Atletico were nowhere near it tonight.

" They were in their faces all the time. When they won the ball back, they just tried to regain it as quickly as possible. In the first half, in particular, they caused more problems, particularly in wide areas.

"Atletico reacted in the second half which you would have anticipated but overall they deserved to win the game."

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