24th matchday
Augsburg (AP) – Frustrated and angry, Dortmund’s goalkeeper Tororgan Hazard thundered the ball into the Augsburg evening sky after the final whistle. The 1: 1 (1: 0) in the relegation fighters of FCA felt like a defeat for BVB.
After the international knockout, BVB had the next frustration without their offensive trumps Marco Reus and Erling Haaland and, now eight points behind leader and series champion Bayern Munich, can probably write off the last minimal chance of the title in the premiere season under coach Marco Rose.
Goal soloist Torgan Hazard gave Dortmund the lead in the 35th minute in front of 15,330 spectators in the sold-out Augsburg Arena. Donyell Malen could have secured the looming work win, but FCA goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz was able to deflect a powerful shot from the attacker onto the crossbar with his fingertips after the break (51′). That took revenge: Dortmund became passive, FCA pushed, ran and celebrated Joker Noah Sarenren Bazee’s header goal (78th) after hopeless chaos in the BVB penalty area.
Rose: “Have to live with the point”
Three days after the depressing Europa League defeat by Glasgow Rangers, Rose had hoped his decimated team would react differently. And on more than one point. “I saw a team that pulled on the chains that didn’t do everything right,” said the BVB trainer on the DAZN streaming service. “I would have liked to have gone 1-0 today too – but now we have to live with the point. The lads showed what was in the tank today.”
After the draw, the Augsburg pros were celebrated in front of their fans for the point they fought for with a lot of willpower – their coach Markus Weinzierl was visibly happy with the point. “The performance was okay, so you can continue to work. We worked well, were well organized. I think that winning a point today is okay,” said the FCA coach and summed up: “We have now left the relegation place – that It’s a nice look at the table.”
It still looked good for BVB at the break. Hazard moved Augsburg defenders Mads Pedersen and Felix Uduokhai one after the other when he scored in the penalty area and then sank the ball with a low shot in the far corner.
Teams with a similar system
Both teams played in a similar 3-4-3 formation. The Augsburgers, where coach Markus Weinzierl was able to coach on the sidelines again after the Corona quarantine, acted poisonously like in the 2-1 win against FC Bayern in November. For a long time, however, there was no explosive action on the offensive by the US boy Ricardo Pepi, who was still unable to score.
Dortmund’s defense, with Mats Hummels in the center as defensive chief, no longer seemed stable and confident as the season went on, but held tight except for the one goal conceded. The Augsburgers usually lacked a target player in the penalty area. The Augsburg substitute did not accept an invitation from BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who played a ball in Sarenren Bazee’s foot. His shot was blocked (71st). Later, however, he held his head decisively in a shot by Arne Maier. FCA pushed even more vehemently than Dortmund to win.