15:30 Kickoffs: Claude-Maurice shoots Augsburg past BVB, St. Pauli falter again, Leipzig claim top spot | OneFootball

15:30 Kickoffs: Claude-Maurice shoots Augsburg past BVB, St. Pauli falter again, Leipzig claim top spot | OneFootball

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·26 October 2024

15:30 Kickoffs: Claude-Maurice shoots Augsburg past BVB, St. Pauli falter again, Leipzig claim top spot

Article image:15:30 Kickoffs: Claude-Maurice shoots Augsburg past BVB, St. Pauli falter again, Leipzig claim top spot

Augsburg striker Alexis Claude-Marice celebrates scoring against Borussia Dortmund at the WWK-Arena on Saturday afternoon. Photo: Sebastian Widmann, Getty Images.

Nuri Sahin's Borussia Dortmund have now unquestionably been plunged into crisis after incurring their third league defeat of the season. Sahin's Schwarzgelben were undone in their trip to Augsburg via an Alexis Claude-Maurice brace at the WWK-Arena. The result means that Dortmund have now dropped three of their four away matches thus far this season.


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Sahin employed just one change to the XI that initially held its own before falling apart against Real Madrid in the Champions' League on Tuesday. Waldemar Anton replaced the injured Niklas Süle in central defense. FCA trainer Jess Thorup went for two changes to the team that furnished a highly disappointing performance against Freiburg last week. Defender Kevin Schlotterbeck returned from injury to take the place of Maximilian Bauer. Deadline-day acquisition Claude-Maurice was also given his starting XI debut, preferred to striker Samuel Essende.

At first, it appeared as if Dortmund got off to the best possible start. Serhou Guirassy played Donyell Malen in with an incisive through-ball in the 5th. The Dutch international banged home the 1-0 with a thunderous finish from 11 meters out just underneath the crossbar. Augsburg were nevertheless able to gradually play their way back into the game. Thorup's Fuggerstädter did well to disrupt BVB build-up play. Eventually, they were able to force a turnover out of their guests in the 25th.

Maurice pounced and bulged the back of the net with a laser from about 25 meters out. Rattled by the equalizer, Sahin's Schwarzgelben continued to struggle with the ball. Despite maintaining roughly 70 percent possession, Dortmund couldn't produce another scoring chance of note during the final 20 minutes of the first half. The BVB trainer attempted to inject some new life into his team with a double-switch at the half by bringing on Pascal Groß for Marcel Sabitzer in midfield. Emré Can also had to replace the injured Anton in defense.

Most unfortunately for the very much out-of-form Can, yet another mistake shortly after the restart led to Augsburg taking the lead. The frequently criticized Dortmund skipper - playing in one of his unnatural positions absent-mindedly cleared an Elvis Rexhbecaj cross directly onto the feet of Claude-Maurice. The Frenchman curled in the 2-1 from 16 meters out in the 50th. In a match frequently interrupted by fouls and subs, Sahin's side were never really able to regain their rhythm.

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga's 15:30 kickoffs:

Leipzig-Freiburg

Julian Schuster's Freiburg took a well-deserved first-half lead at the Red Bull Arena. Ritsu Doan netted the 1-0 at the quarter-of-an-hour mark. The visiting Breisgauer produced many more scoring chances after The Japanese international opened the scoring. RB attacker Benjamin Sesko - under serious fire for his recent inability to finish - did supply two get two quality efforts in near the end of the first half, but was twice denied by excellent saves by Freiburg keeper Noah Atubolu. Schuster's men would have certainly fancied their chances of winning the match.

Matters got worse for the German Red Bulls after the restart when keeper Peter Gulacsi indicated that he needed to be subbed off. Marco Rose's team nevertheless found a way to cope with the loss of their most in-form player, scoring two goals in quick succession. A bit of luck helped the hosts out. Captain Willi Orban's 1-1 in the 47th came with the help of a deflection. A Loïs Openda cross in the 58th then - not entirely intentionally - found a streaking Lutrashel Geertruida on the 2-1.

Openda added the decisive 3-1 in the 79th. Interestingly enough, it was none other than underutilized striker André Silva who supplied the assist. The win propels Leipzig to the top of the Bundesliga table for the evening. German record champions FC Bayern München have a chance to overtake with a win against VfL Bochum tomorrow.

Stuttgart-Kiel

Riding high after their massive Champions' League win against Juventus, a heavily rotated Stuttgart side played host to an injury-plagued Holstein Kiel at the MHP-Arena. Anrie Chase and his fellow new entrant to the starting XI, Tuesday's hero El Bilal Touré, did a fabulous job setting up Deniz Undav's 1-0 in the 19th. Undav - who was earring the VfB captain's armband for the very first time - helped his team dominate Kiel for virtually the entire first-half, nearly scored again twice before the opening 45 was out.

Touré himself then scored his third goal in VfB colors just after the hour-mark. The Swabians held onto their 2-0 lead even after defender Julian Chabot had to exit proceedings on double yellows in the 66th until Armin Gigovic pulled a goal back in the 84th. Kiel themselves were then reduced to ten-men when Jan Fiete-Arp was sent off in the 88th. The match ended in a 2-1 home victory for the Württembergers.

St. Pauli-Wolfsburg

A Millerntor-match many saw as an excellent upset tip delivered more frustration for the Hanseatic city-state hosts. Alexander Blessin's St. Pauli played a decent first half, yet still found themselves awaiting their very first home goal of the current season after the first half drew to a close. The hosting "Kiezkicker" unquestionably outplayed Ralph Hasenhüttl's "Autostädter", but couldn't quite keep their nerve in the final third. Wolfsburg then woke up with a flurry of chances after the restart. Blessin's team were lucky not to concede.

Blessin's men still couldn't buy a goal to save their lives. A 52nd-minute tally got scratched off due to a clear offside position. Solid defending from the likes of Konstantinos Koulierakis and Denis Vavro kept the St. Pauli attackers away from goal. VfL keeper Kamil Granada took care of any and all distance efforts the Hamburgers opted to send his way. Wolfsburg finished the match stronger without scoring a goal themselves in the 0-0 draw.

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