BERLIN (AP) — Leipzig shrugged off more protests against its very existence to beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 and keep its perfect start to the Bundesliga season intact on Friday.
Timo Werner scored a hat trick for Leipzig which claimed its third league win from three games under new coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Silent Union Berlin fans had maintained an "atmosphere boycott" for the opening 15 minutes in Leipzig's first away game of the season. In contrast Friday, Leipzig players were loudly whistled any time they had the ball for the first 19 minutes — to correspond with Gladbach's founding year of 1900 — as rival fans made their opposition clear.
A banner behind one goal read, "No acceptance for RB!" — referring to the club's Red Bull backer. Leipzig has been unpopular among many fans since its formation in 2009. The energy drinks manufacturer founded the club and helped finance its steady progress through the lower leagues to the Bundesliga.
Alassane Plea and Breel Embolo both went close as Gladbach made the better start, but Werner shrugged off Germany teammate Matthias Ginter's challenge to open the scoring in the 38th.
Werner, who extended his contract with the club last weekend, grabbed his second three minutes after the break. He finished a fine team move by powering past Nico Elvedi and shooting beyond Yann Sommer in the Gladbach goal.
Embolo pulled one back in injury time, but Werner had the final say with his third on a counterattack.
