RB Leipzig have kicked-off the new Bundesliga season with a confident 3-1 win at home to Mainz, with the departed Timo Werner nothing but a distant memory.
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Bayer Leverkusen meanwhile drew 0-0 at Wolfsburg as they perhaps missed Kai Havertz more, with the playmaker having joined Werner at Chelsea.
Emil Forsberg's 17th-minute penalty, Yussuf Poulsen's 21st-minute header and Amadou Haidara's second-half goal sealed the easy points for Julian Nagelsmann's Leipzig, who beat Mainz 8-0 and 5-0 last term as they finished third.
The Champions League semi-finalists allowed around 8,500 fans into the game as German football pushes for a return to some sort of normality despite government uneasiness and coronavirus cases in Germany rising again.
"It was just an incredible feeling to be able to play in front of our fans again. We put on a great performance together today," Forsberg told Sky.
Leverkusen had hammered fourth tier Eintracht Norderstedt 7-0 in the German Cup first round last weekend but they were lacklustre at a Wolfsburg side who had beaten Kukesi in Albania in Europa League qualifying only on Thursday.
The Wolves edged the first half although Florian Wirtz, 17, dallied too long with a good Leverkusen chance.
The second half was largely a non-event with the hosts having an effort ruled out for offside and Leverkusen introducing new signing Patrik Schick but to little effect, but for one close header.
Australian Associated Press
