Augsburg slip up, Guirassy strikes as BVB go second after 1-0 win | OneFootball

In a long and hard-fought match, Borussia Dortmund edged out FC Augsburg 1-0 (1-0) and temporarily moved up to second place in the Bundesliga table. The scorer of the evening was Guirassy, who ruthlessly capitalized on a mistake by the hosts in the 37th minute.

BVB coach Kovač made six changes to his starting eleven compared to the cup match in Frankfurt. Guirassy, Bensebaini, Yan Couto, Groß, Nmecha, and Chukwuemeka came into the team for N. Schlotterbeck (ill), Adeyemi, Ryerson, Svensson, Sabitzer, and Bellingham (all on the bench). For the first time this season, captain Can was included in the matchday squad after his lengthy adductor injury.

After the 0-6 thrashing against RB Leipzig the previous week, Augsburg tried not to run into the open knife against BVB. The Fuggerstädter defense stood compact and offered no gaps to Dortmund, who, as expected, had more possession. The wait for the first chance on goal began.

After about 20 minutes, FCA dared to do more – and took the first shot of the match. Kömür got the ball in Dortmund’s penalty area but shot well wide. However, most of the action took place between the penalty areas. The visitors missed the playmaking abilities of Schlotterbeck, who is known for setting up his teammates on the flanks with his passes.

So it happened as it had to: an individual error led to the first real chance – and the first goal. Matsima headed a long Dortmund ball against his teammate Massengo, which allowed the ball to fall at Guirassy’s feet. The striker kept his cool and finished to make it 1-0 for the Black and Yellows. Dahmen did get his fingers to the ball, but couldn’t prevent it from going in.

BVB almost doubled their lead before halftime. After a corner, the ball landed at Anton’s feet. But the center-back seemed too surprised and couldn’t control the ball (43’).

Dortmund’s Defense Holds Firm

Even after the restart, the match remained tough going. Duels continued to dominate after the break. Dortmund didn’t push consistently for a second goal, while the Swabians couldn’t break through the BVB defense.

Photo: Getty Images

Apart from two long-range shots from Brandt and Chukwuemeka, there were no noteworthy attacking actions (55’/57’). The first highlight of the second 45 minutes was therefore not a successful finish, but a sliding tackle from Bellingham, who blocked Rexhbecaj’s shot in his own penalty area (72’).

In the 76th minute, there was a bit of chaos in the Dortmund penalty area. But the Black and Yellows successfully blocked all of Augsburg’s attempts. A symbolic scene in the 89th minute: first Dortmund threw in incorrectly, then the Fuggerstädter did the same.

FCA center-back Banks tried his luck from a tight angle. Kobel held onto the ball securely (90’+2). Despite six minutes of added time and Augsburg keeper Dahmen joining the attack, the score remained 1-0 for BVB. Adeyemi almost made it 2-0, but as he sprinted towards the empty FCA goal, Matsima slid in to take the ball off his foot.

Conclusion: The first half was a rather tough affair with few highlights. Dortmund struggled against compact Augsburg. However, BVB didn’t allow anything at the back either. An individual error gave Borussia the chance to take the lead, which Guirassy took coldly. Nothing changed in the course of the game after the break. The defensive lines dominated the duel. Thus, the hosts’ mistake and Guirassy’s striker’s instinct decided the match.

BVB: Kobel – Anselmino, Anton, Bensebaini – Yan Couto (74’ Ryerson), Groß, Nmecha (62’ Bellingham), Beier (74’ Sabitzer) – Brandt (90’+5 Adeyemi), Chukwuemeka (62’ Svensson) – Guirassy

FCA: Dahmen – K. Schlotterbeck, Matsima, Banks – Fellhauer (81’ Tietz), Massengo (63’ Kade), Rexhbecaj, Giannoulis (76’ Gharbi) – Rieder, Claude-Maurice (81’ Essende), Kömür (63’ Saad)

Goals: 0:1 Guirassy (37’)

Attendance: 30,660 (sold out)

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.