FC Augsburg sends Eintracht Frankfurt into a mini-crisis

FC Augsburg did not lose its sixth game in the Bundesliga under Jess Thorup. In contrast, Eintracht Frankfurt suffered its third defeat in a row across all competitions at 1:2 (0:1) on Sunday (December 3rd, 2023) after a very weak performance.

If one team plays 1-1 three times in a row and the other loses two games in a row 1-2, the expectations of a game in terms of offensive football should not be too high. That’s how it was between Augsburg and Frankfurt, both of whom haven’t shown strong performances recently, especially up front, and also demonstrated that they’re not exactly brimming with self-confidence on the ball.

Augsburg presses briefly and rewards itself for it

Frankfurt had their first chance in the eighth minute through Paxton Aaronson, who was denied by Finn Dahmen, and Dina Ebimbe, who failed to get the ball into the goal as he followed up, but that was about it in terms of successful actions in the first half. Coach Dino Toppmöller’s team tried to control the game, but were unable to assert themselves in the crucial areas.

And because Augsburg also took a wait-and-see approach for a long time, it was a very tough game – until the hosts had six strong minutes. An FCA target shooting event caused the first excitement. After a free kick, Felix Uduokhai was first blocked, a shot by Niklas Dorsch was saved, then Emerdin Demirovic was also blocked before Uduokhai made it 1-0 (28th) – if you hadn’t noticed when you looked at the video images that there had been an offside position in advance had.

So the cheering was brief, but it came back pretty quickly. After a mistake by Hugo Larsson in their own penalty area, Augsburg quickly switched gears and in this case really took the lead. Demirovic fed Fredrik Jensen, who deliberately converted it high into the far corner (35′). And because Frankfurt couldn’t react afterwards, it was the final highlight of a poor first half.

Iago punishes weak Frankfurters

Eintracht in particular was disappointing after the break. There were several scenes that were emblematic of the performance, such as a situation in which Ansgar Knauff did not deliver the cross, but instead ran with the ball into the goal because he had placed it too far. One could list several such failed actions.

And so Augsburg didn’t have to put in too much effort to make the result even more comfortable. Demirovic happily directed a cross from Jensen straight to Iago, who hit the far corner with his weaker right foot (58′). At that moment at the latest, there was hardly any doubt that FCA would remain unbeaten in the sixth game under coach Jess Thorup – and would be victorious again after their 1-1 series.

Both goalkeepers in focus

At Frankfurt, however, there were signs of further regression after the defeats against VfB Stuttgart and in the Conference League against PAOK. Based on the other results, Eintracht had the opportunity to move up to sixth place with a win, which would lead to renewed participation in the European Cup. But the performance in Augsburg, even after the 2-0 defeat, remained well below a top-6 worthy performance.

And yet suddenly hope emerged. First Omar Marmoush managed to test FCA keeper Dahmen with a shot from 15 meters (72′), and then Kevin Trapp shone in the Frankfurt goal. After a foul by William Pacho on Ruben Vargas, Augsburg received a penalty, but the national goalkeeper parried Demirovic’s shot (76th).

A little later, his front men also refined the Trapp act – or: his counterpart Dahmen. Frankfurt with a good attack on the left side, after which Philipp Max brought the ball sharply into the middle, where the Augsburg goalkeeper tried to block with his foot, but maneuvered the ball into his own goal (78th). Only 1:2 from Frankfurt’s perspective thanks to a missed penalty and an own goal.

Augsburg gets some breathing room

Frankfurt then built up a little pressure, but remained far too harmless. Dahmen’s efforts couldn’t avoid more than three shots on goal, which Dahmen had no problems with. In addition, Jessic Ngankam miserably missed a chance product in the fifth minute of added time. And so it remained with the third 1:2 defeat in a row and, above all, an offensive creativity crisis.

Meanwhile, Augsburg has increased its cushion over the relegation places to eight points and is now even placed in the first half of the table. And even more impressive: since Thorup has been there, FCA has been the fourth-best team in the Bundesliga. In this form, his team will soon no longer have to look at the bottom ranks.

FCA in Bremen, Frankfurt welcomes Bayern

Augsburg will face Werder Bremen away on matchday 14 (Saturday, December 9th, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.). Eintracht Frankfurt is hosting FC Bayern Munich at the same time.