FCA kick off league season with entertaining 2-2 draw at home to Werder Bremen
Rexhbecaj and Essende find the net at a sold-out WWK ARENA
FC Augsburg got their 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign underway with a 2-2 draw against SV Werder Bremen on Saturday afternoon. The 30,660 spectators at a sold-out WWK ARENA watched a thrilling encounter with lots of twists and turns.
FCA head coach Jess Thorup put his faith in the same eleven that won 4-1 at Viktoria Berlin in their DFB-Pokal first-round clash. Kristijan Jakić missed out after picking up an ankle injury in the final training session before the match.
Both teams were on the front foot from the start on a beautiful summer’s day in Augsburg. After Arne Engels was denied from close range by Werder ‘keeper Michael Zetterer in the ninth minute, the visitors took the lead just a few moments later. Felix Agu broke through on the left and beat FCA goalkeeper Nediljko Labrović with a low effort (12’). The Fuggerstädter though hit back just four minutes later, as Elvis Rexhbecaj, who also scored a spectacular goal in last season’s Bundesliga opener against Borussia Mönchengladbach, struck home from around 25 yards out.
Buoyed by this goal, Thorup’s side won more than 60 percent of their individual battles in the first half, and took a deserved lead in the 35th minute. After a superb ball-in from Tim Breithaupt, Samuel Essende was on the spot to nod home his first Bundesliga goal at the far post. At the other end, Mitchell Weiser headed over the bar (45+3’).
VAR chalks off Essende’s second
Werder, who won 3-1 in Cottbus in their Pokal opener, came out for the second half firing, and were soon rewarded with the equaliser. Weiser’s cross from the right was headed home by substitute Justin Njinmah (58’). FCA however kept on pushing for a third goal. Essende got on the end of Dimitris Giannoulis’ cross to seemingly put his side 3-2 up, but the strike was ruled out for an adjudged handball (69’).
The Fuggerstädter were on the wrong side of another VAR decision shortly afterwards. The tireless Rexhbecaj put a cross in from the left that appeared to hit the outstretched arm of Anthony Jung. Referee Sascha Stegemann however elected not to award a penalty after reviewing the VAR footage. There was no further breakthrough and the game ended 2-2.
FCA next travel to 1. FC Heidenheim for their first away game of the Bundesliga season on Sunday, 1st September (15:30 CEST).
