RB Leipzig beat PSV Eindhoven with Vandevoordt and Gruda

RB Leipzig took their first Champions League win of the season with a 1-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven at the Red Bull Arena, and the decisive moments came from two players. Maarten Vandevoordt kept out Ivan Perišić's penalty in the 19th minute after a VAR review confirmed the spot kick, then Brajan Gruda scored the winner in the 75th minute.

Vandevoordt kept Leipzig alive

The early penalty was the turning point. PSV had already shown enough pressure to make the opening phase uncomfortable, and Vandevoordt's save gave Leipzig a way back into a match they could have lost before the break. He finished with five saves and an 8.88 rating, the best on the pitch.

Gruda did the rest. His goal was his only direct contribution of the night, but it was the one that decided the game, and his five completed dribbles showed how often he helped Leipzig carry the ball forward.

Leipzig's response after Frankfurt

The result came three days after Leipzig's 6-0 Bundesliga win over Eintracht Frankfurt, which Martin Demichelis had described as "a confirmation" that had to become "an obligation". Coming back to European football after the 4-1 defeat at Como 1907, Leipzig needed something more controlled than the Frankfurt scoreline, and they got it.

The club also had 43,187 spectators behind them at the Red Bull Arena, a proper crowd for a night that could have slipped away early. Leipzig now go to Bayern München on Saturday and then away to Real Madrid four days later.