Leipzig's kebab-loving duo devouring Europe's elite

Kebab-munching Marcel Sabitzer and Timo Werner devoured sorry Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night－and likely celebrated with another trip to their favorite fast-food joint.

Sabitzer scored twice to help RB Leipzig reach the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time with a 3-0 triumph over last season's runners-up Spurs. Sabitzer's close friend Timo Werner delivered an assist before Emil Forsberg netted a late third to complete a 4-0 aggregate win over the English club.

RB's top scorer Werner turned in a powerful overall performance alongside Sabitzer.

Leipzig's match-winners regularly head to a local kebab house in the center of the eastern German city to enjoy meaty treats banned under the team's nutrition rules.

RB head coach Julian Nagelsmann doesn't seem to mind as long as things work out on the pitch. And who could deny a team that is one of the surprise packages of this season's Champions League?

The competition rookies finished top of their group with 11 points and are continuing to upset the odds in the knockout stage.

While RB's Bundesliga title tilt has faltered somewhat in recent months－Nagelsmann's side is now third, five points off leader Bayern Munich－Sabitzer and Werner's sensational form shows no signs of abating.

Having joined Leipzig five and four years ago respectively, both have developed into top-level international players.

Werner has 88 goals and 39 assists in 150 games for Leipzig, while Sabitzer has transformed from a lone wolf into a true team leader. On Tuesday, the RB captain became the first Austrian to score two goals in a Champions League game. He and Werner have scored four goals each in Europe's premier club competition this term.

Magazine Kicker named Sabitzer the Bundesliga's best midfielder ahead of Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz and Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus.

"I have learned to not only see my goals. To gain success with a team, you need to develop an empathic view," Sabitzer said, adding: "In the past, it might have been one of my problems to press the right button trying to tease out determination from my teammates."

Sabitzer's former coaches Ralf Rangnick and Ralph Hasenhuettl, now of Southampton, have recently been singing his praises as much as Nagelsmann.

"It couldn't have been better," Rangnick said, while Hasenhuettl opined: "Every coach would like to have him in his team because he never disappears in tight games." Nagelsmann has described Sabitzer as "an irreplaceable leader".

His biggest strength is arguably his versatility, with the 25-year-old equally adept at playing as a deep-lying midfielder as he is operating in the No 10 role.

Werner has also become a more complete player under the guidance of 32-year-old Nagelsmann, who has been linked with some of Europe's top jobs. On Tuesday, the Stuttgartborn striker, who scored in the first leg, opened spaces for his teammates with smart movement up front.

Timid Tottenham

Meanwhile, Spurs' limp exit showed a lack of maturity, according to the London club's England midfielder Dele Alli.

"After the first one (goal) went in it didn't change much but we conceded too many chances as a team," Alli told BT Sport. "It's hard to come back from those two goals. We had to show our maturity and fight and we didn't do that."

Spurs managed to muster just one shot on target in the first half. They earned their first corner in the 43rd minute and Jose Mourinho's team, missing several key international players through injury, lacked any fighting spirit.

"We can't use excuses, we still have quality on the pitch. We are missing good players but that happens," Alli said.

Spurs were without star strikers Harry Kane and Son Heungmin as well as Ben Davies and Steven Bergwijn. "The players coming in have to step up and we haven't done that today. We apologize to the fans. To go out and lose like that, they deserve better," Alli added.

Tottenham is currently eighth in the Premier League, seven points off the top four Champions League qualification places.

Reuters contributed to this story