Augsburg 2-3 FC Bayern
FC Bayern climbed to within two points of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga after a hard-fought win over Augsburg at the SGL Arena.
The Bundesliga 2019 betting markets can hardly split the two teams as Bayern chase the long-time leaders BVB down, and it looks like being the most exciting climax in German football for years.
But for Augsburg, who battled hard, another defeat leaves then deep in relegation trouble.
Highlights of the game
Nico Kovac had a choice to make: which, if any, players he should rest in preparation for the upcoming Champions League trip to Liverpool? And he started with pretty much a full-strength side, counting on them to do a professional job on Augsburg and still have plenty in the tank for the trip to England. But they certainly had to put a shift in!
Manuel Baum’s team came here on the back of a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Werder Bremen, and that was their fourth defeat in five games. But they got off to a dream start when Leon Goretzka put through his own net in the very first minute. The vast majority of 30,000 fans went crazy as the Bavarian followers looked on, bemused.
As expected, FC Bayern roared back at the underdogs. Mats Hummels met a James Rodriguez corner, but his header flew wide of the post. And it didn’t take long for the Bayern pressure to count. Joshua Kimmich found Kingsley Coman in space in the box, and the French winger fired home.
That was on 17 minutes, and the Bayern fans must have thought it would increase the momentum and another goal would come before long. And so it did, but not in the way they expected! When Michael Gregoritsch passed to Ji Dong-Won in the Bayern penalty area, he smashed the ball high into the roof of the net.
Baum’s men were 2-1 up after 23 minutes…amazing!
Augsburg held the Bavarians to a 1-1 draw earlier in the campaign with a late Felix Gotze goal, and the hosts must have begun to believe they could upset the champions again.
Robert Lewandowski almost levelled on 34 minutes, meeting a corner with a bullet header that crashed against the bar. And the hosts almost held out until half-time, but it was that man Coman again, taking a pass from Goretzka in the third minute of added time to fire home and level matters at the break.
Lewandowski came very close with a header early in the second half, and then Augsburg had a chance when Ji drew a foul from Thiago. Konstantinos Stafylidis sized up the free-kick and let fly from 35 yards but missed to the right. But then, on 53 minutes, Bayern went ahead for the first time. Man-of-the-match Coman teed up David Alaba on the left side of the box, and his cross-shot settled in the bottom-right corner.
Lewandowski came close again, and then Augsburg, still right in the game at only one down, pressed forward and Reece Oxford headed over from close range from a Philipp Max cross. As the game swung to the other end, Coman came close to his hat-trick after Thomas Muller flicked on a corner, but his header was tipped over by Gregor Kobel.
Chances were few and far between for Augsburg, but when they won a free-kick Michael Gregoritsch shot just over from a difficult angle. That was as close as they came.
Key statistics
The champions had 74 per cent possession in the first half and ten shots to the hosts’ two, but they went in at the break all square. While the hosts couldn’t breach the Bayern defence again, they put up quite a fight: they had eight shots to the champions’ 17 by the end.
Bayern have now won 13 to Augsburg’s two in the head-to-heads while making it six wins in seven to put the heat on BVB.
What’s next?
These two teams can take a short breather now while keeping up with the weekend’s Bundesliga 2019 results at the top and bottom of the table. But for the time being, the league table looks good for Bayern.
Augsburg are away to mid-table SC Freiburg next week, and it doesn’t get any easier on their return to the SGL Arena in two weeks’ time when league leaders BVB are the visitors.
FC Bayern have a huge game ahead when they visit Liverpool in the Champions League Round of 16, where the Bavarians will face an old foe in former BVB head coach Jurgen Klopp. That promises to be a cracker of a game, so look out for the SBOBET tips for the big Anfield clash…coming very soon!
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