Antonio Nusa finished RB Leipzig's 5-0 win over Hamburger SV with a goal, an assist, two key passes and the fastest sprint recorded in the match. In a game that quickly became one-sided, his rating of 9 matched what the night looked like at the Red Bull Arena. This was more than one good moment in front of goal. Nusa drove the whole contest.

The standout detail from RB Leipzig vs Hamburger SV is that Leipzig did not need to rely on one flash from him. Nusa doubled the lead in the 28th minute after a defensive mistake, then kept shaping the game as Leipzig pulled further away. Bundesliga.com's match report summed it up neatly: "Antonio Nusa was named Man of the Match after a decisive display. He scored Leipzig's second goal, won the free kick that led to Orbán's header for 3-0, and set up Nkunku's fourth with a clever pass after leaving a defender behind."

Nusa's full contribution

The easy version of this performance is to reduce it to a goal and an assist. That misses the point. Nusa directly produced two goals, but he also created two key passes and clocked 35.04 km/h, the highest maximum speed of any player on the pitch.

That speed mattered in practical terms, not just as a graphic. It showed up when he left a defender behind before setting up Christopher Nkunku, and it showed up again in the way Hamburg struggled to recover once he attacked space. Leipzig's 3.18 xG across the match backs up how much pressure they applied, while Hamburg managed only 0.7 xG.

Nusa was also named Player of the Match after what bundesliga.com called a decisive display. That feels about right. Plenty of wide players can pad a game in a 5-0 win once the score gets loose. Nusa influenced the result before it got there.

His first major contribution came in the 28th minute, when he doubled Leipzig's lead after a defensive mistake. From there, he kept forcing Hamburg backwards. By the time the game opened up in the second half, he was already the player dictating where the danger was coming from.

Leipzig's five-minute finish

The scoreline was already comfortable before Leipzig turned it into a rout. The decisive burst came between the 72nd and 77th minutes, when they scored three times in five minutes.

Bundesliga.com described that stretch this way: "But Leipzig struck three times between the 72nd and 77th minutes: Willi Orbán headed in a Nusa free kick for 3-0, Nkunku slotted home from a Nusa pass for 4-0, and substitute Rômulo rounded the goalkeeper to complete the rout at 5-0."

That sequence also explains why Nusa was the night's central figure even with other scorers on the sheet. He won the free kick for the third. He provided the pass for the fourth. Once Leipzig accelerated, he was still the player most directly involved in the damage.

Nkunku's finish added another recognisable name to the scoreline, but the move belonged to Nusa. Hamburg had no answer once Leipzig found room to run at them, and Nusa was the one repeatedly turning that room into chances.

What the win showed

A 5-0 result can flatten the details because everything starts to look dominant by default. This one had a clear pecking order inside it. Leipzig were stronger across the board, but Nusa was the player who gave the performance its shape.

The 9 rating captures part of that, and so do the two goal involvements. The more convincing case is the spread of his influence: the finish in the 28th minute, the set-piece involvement for 3-0, the assist for Nkunku, and the 35.04 km/h top speed that kept stretching Hamburg whenever he drove forward.

Leipzig's margin was deserved on the underlying chances as well as the scoreboard, and Nusa was at the centre of the best of them. On Matchday 3, in a 5-0 win at the Red Bull Arena, he was comfortably the story of the game.

FAQ

Why was Antonio Nusa named player of the match against Hamburger SV?

Nusa had the biggest all-round impact in RB Leipzig's 5-0 win. He scored, assisted, won the free kick for Leipzig's third goal, created two key passes and hit 35.04 km/h, the fastest speed recorded by any player on the pitch.

How did RB Leipzig turn the Hamburg game into a 5-0 rout?

Leipzig were already in control, but the match became a rout when they scored three times between the 72nd and 77th minutes. Nusa won the free kick for the third goal, then supplied Christopher Nkunku for the fourth before Rômulo added the fifth.

Did Antonio Nusa do more than just score for RB Leipzig?

Yes. The goal was only part of it. Nusa also set up a goal, produced two key passes and won the free kick that led to Willi Orbán's header. His display was about chance creation and physical threat as much as finishing.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →