FCA come back from behind in 2-1 victory over Gladbach

Strong start to the second half of the season

What a start to the second half of the season! FC Augsburg brought home all three points from a 2-1 win on the road against Borussia Mönchengladbach thanks to an incredible second-half comeback.

FCA head coach Jess Thorup opted to keep the exact starting XI for the clash against Gladbach from last weekend’s narrow 1-0 home defeat to league frontrunners Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Arne Engels took the place of Niklas Dorsch on the left, who was suspended after receiving five yellow cards this season. Kristijan Jakić started the match on the bench, after having only signed for FCA earlier this week.

Only two points separated the sides prior to Sunday evening’s clash, so it was a great opportunity for the Függerstädter to climb ahead of Borussia. The visitors delivered a promising first-half performance, with three clear-cut chances in the first 15 minutes through Ermedin Demirović (10’), Fredrik Jensen (11’) and Ruben Vargas (12’), whose header effort was denied by Gladbach keeper Moritz Nicolas.

The match was interrupted for several minutes due to a protest from the Gladbach fans, which was vital in helping the home side in particular to get settled into the game. Borussia opened the scoring in the 26th minute: Straight after a corner, Alassane Pléa delivered a cross from the right, which Jordan Siebatcheu was able to scramble in from close range. Thorup’s side had 59 percent possession and recorded a pass completion rate of 85 percent over the first 45 minutes, but were unable to hit home a much-needed equaliser before the break.

Tietz and Engels rise to the challenge

However, the hosts turned the game on its head shortly after play resumed. Kevin Mbabu’s picture-perfect cross found Phillip Tietz in the middle, who beat Joe Scally in the air and nodded it home for the visitors. Arne Engels then proceeded to put the game to bed just four minutes later – thanks to some great combination play by captain Demirović and Tietz, the Belgian was able to fire an ice-cold finish from around twelve metres out into the bottom left corner.

Around an hour into the game, Jakić made his debut appearance for FCA, and was an asset for the side in the defensive midfield. Gladbach kept pushing for an equaliser, but were unable to create any real chances. Augsburg’s back line continued to defend intelligently and prevented the hosts from getting through on goal. Aside from an on-target effort from Pléa (65’), Dahmen was not desperately required to intervene for FCA at any point. At the opposite end, Iago’s right-footed strike was tipped over the bar by Nicolas (75’). The final whistle blew to signal Augsburg’s second win on the road of the current campaign.

Photo gallery from the 2-1 win over Gladbach.

FC Augsburg are currently sat in tenth position in the table with 21 points, which the boys are hoping to build on next weekend when they face reigning Bundesliga champions FC Bayern München on Saturday, 27th January (15:30 CET) at the WWK ARENA.