FC Augsburg’s impressive interim spurt continues against Cologne. The harmless FC has finally arrived in the Bundesliga relegation battle.
FC Augsburg has taken a giant step towards staying in the Bundesliga and sent 1. FC Köln deeper into the relegation battle. In the 2-0 (0-0) win on Saturday, Rodrigo Ribeiro (55th) scored the decisive one in an uneventful game – in an elegant way. Alexis Claude-Maurice increased the score deep in stoppage time (90th + 5).
The FCA is continuing its remarkable upward trend under coach Manuel Baum and has won five of the last six league games. The Cologne team, on the other hand, only got two wins from their last 15 games, and their four-point lead over the relegation zone threatens to shrink over the course of the 24th matchday.
Eric Martel heads the crossbar
Augsburg started actively with several promising shots, one of which came from Rodrigo Ribeiro from 18 meters and went past the left (10th). However, the game then petered out because FCA was careful not to allow any counterattacks.
At times the hosts waited patiently in their own half for Cologne to attack. However, they had no brilliant ideas, top talent Said El Mala was on the bench and creative player Jakub Kaminski had to help out on the right wing. In addition, the weakened FC also focused on keeping the score at zero. The result was many minutes of idleness in the first half.
Cologne’s only chance before the break came from a corner from Kaminski, Eric Martel headed it onto the crossbar from eleven meters. In the last minutes of the first half, Augsburg increased the tempo again, but the game went into the halftime goalless.
Cologne’s Tom Krauss (l.) in a duel with Augsburg’s Han-Noah Massengo
Bülter lets Banks go
Augsburg had to make a substitution early in the second half, Kristijan Jakic went off injured and Yannik Keitel came into the game. The opening goal came from a shot by defender Noahkai Banks from the half-right. Without being seriously attacked by Marius Bülter and Kristoffer Lund, he got through to the goal line, crossed and Ribeiro finished skillfully behind the supporting leg.
Cologne coach Lukas Kwasniok waited until the 66th minute before bringing El Mala into the game. He also sent Youssoupha Niang, also just 19 years old, into the game; the inconspicuous Bülter and Luca Waldschmidt had to go out.
Against Augsburg, who were now even deeper, El Mala was no longer able to make his feared individual actions. FC no longer managed to create any chances. It wasn’t until deep into stoppage time that things became dangerous with a header from Özkacar.
Because goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe was ahead in the final seconds and Michael Gregoritsch headed out a corner, Claude-Maurice was able to shoot into the empty goal,
Augsburg in Leipzig, Cologne against Dortmund
Augsburg will be guests at RB Leipzig on Saturday afternoon (3:30 p.m.). Cologne welcomes Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening (6:30 p.m.).
