Ribeiro with a heel
©IMAGO
On its Bundesliga anniversary, FC Augsburg further exacerbated 1. FC Köln’s relegation worries. The Swabians celebrated their 150th victory with a 2-0 (0-0) win in their 500th game in Germany’s top division. Portugal talent Rodrigo Ribeiro took the lead with a fine backheel goal in the 55th minute, Alexis Claude-Maurice (90+5) scored late into the empty FC goal to make the final score.
While Augsburg can at least breathe a sigh of relief when looking at the table with 31 points, things remain threatening for coach Lukas Kwasniok’s Cologne team with only 24 points in their account.
The young star Said El Mala, who only came on for the last half hour after his muscular problems during the week, was no longer able to prevent the team from going bankrupt due to their overall too timid attacking efforts. Cologne only got one point in the last four games. This was also due to the fact that Augsburg collectively prevented the equalizer on the line in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
“We are hungry for more,” FCA coach Manuel Baum emphasized before the game. His in-form team – only Dortmund scored more points in the second half of the season – demonstrated this in front of 30,660 spectators in the sold-out WWK Arena. The Augsburgers acted more alertly in the early stages and were more determined in the duels. Ribeiro (4th) and Noahkai Banks (11th) failed in their shots at FC keeper Marvin Schwäbe.
After the promising initial phase, the guests calmed down the game, which then lost its spirit overall. Towards the end of the first half, the Rhinelanders briefly became a little braver around last week’s dream goalscorer, overhead kick artist Ragnar Ache. When Eric Martel’s header hit the crossbar (38′), Jakub Kaminski’s corner didn’t take much to give them a surprising lead. Last year’s U21 national team captain stayed out after the break with a yellow card.
In the second half, Augsburg celebrated their deserved lead. Defender Banks energetically drove the ball forward and crossed in front of the goal, where the very agile Ribeiro made a remarkable finish with his heel. In the fourth game it was the second goal for the 20-year-old Portuguese – the first time he scored at home. In the final phase, the hosts passionately defended their narrow lead and even missed the reassuring 2-0.
The Augsburg team were not only happy about their anniversary success, but also set an old record with their eighth home game in a row without defeat. Only in their first Bundesliga season in 2011/12 had the Augsburg team managed such a successful run in their own stadium under coach Jos Luhukay.
