Conrad Harder off the mark for RB Leipzig | OneFootball

The wait is finally over: last weekend, Conrad Harder officially opened his Bundesliga account. Rising highest in the box, he nodded past Frankfurt keeper Michael Zetterer to open the scoring in RBL’s stunning 6-0 win.

“It means a lot. I’ve worked really hard for this, and it’s a great feeling to get my first goal,” said our number 11 after his first goal for the Red Bulls. In truth, the 20-year-old had been knocking on the door for weeks.

First assist in the DFB-Pokal

It certainly wasn’t for lack of trying. The 20-year-old has never been shy in front of goal, taking on shots whenever the opportunity came, including five efforts in the 0-0 draw at Mönchengladbach, where he was already close to getting his maiden goal for the club.

He picked up his first assist in the cup win over Magdeburg, setting up Christoph Baumgartner's goal to make it 2-1.

Unsurprisingly, head coach Ole Werner praised the striker before the Frankfurt match: “I think Conrad has done well. He keeps offering runs in behind, and that’s so important for a striker.”

Great link-up play with Baumi

Because he kept making those runs, his breakthrough finally arrived against Frankfurt. He scored himself after being picked out by Baumi, then promptly returned the favour by setting up the second goal. “Thanks for the assist – I’ve paid a bit back,” Conrad laughed afterwards.

Christoph was equally complimentary about the forward: “We’re all absolutely buzzing that Conrad has scored his first goal. He’s worked incredibly hard, put in a real shift off the ball and kept looking to get shots off.”

Showdown with compatriot Rönnow to come

The way everyone celebrated with Conrad underlines just how strong the team spirit is at RBL right now. The striker highlighted that himself after the Frankfurt match: “Everyone at the club has helped me get to this moment. We work together as a team. Everyone helps everyone – players, staff, everyone at the club. I love being here.”

His aim now is to make sure that first goal is just the start – ideally with more to come as soon as Friday night in Berlin. Against a physical Union side, Conrad’s strength and presence could be a real weapon. And who knows – maybe the Dane will find a way past his countryman Frederik Rönnow in the Union goal as well.

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