FCA share the points in goalless draw with Hoffenheim
0-0 in front of 28,300 spectators at the WWK ARENA
Despite a hard-fought performance on Sunday afternoon, FC Augsburg were held to just a point in a goalless draw with TSG Hoffenheim.
FCA head coach Jess Thorup made just one change to his starting line up following last weekend’s 1-1 draw in Wolfsburg. Elvis Rexhbecaj was unavailable due to suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season, and was replaced by Arne Maier.
The first yellow card of the match was shown to Hoffenheim’s Pavel Kadeřábek just seconds after kick off, as he elbowed Dimitris Griannoulis — the quickest booking ever in the Bundesliga. Augsburg came into the game on a two-game winning run in all competitions, having beaten Borussia Dortmund (2-1) and FC Schalke 04 (3-0 in the DFB-Pokal) in the preceding week.
Augsburg were the first to have a close sight at goal, as Phillip Tietz laid the ball off to Arne Maier. His shot was deflected wide and went out for a corner. Tietz then later just missed the target himself in the 22nd minute. Shortly after, Alexis Claude-Maurice had a go from range, but saw his effort denied by TSG goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.
Thorup’s side had managed 11 shots on goal mid-way through the opening half, while Hoffenheim were defending deep and preferred to wait for opportunities to arise on the counter. FCA goalkeeper Nediljko Labrović hadn’t had much to deal with in the opening half, with Umut Tohumcu going closest for TSG as he sent a shot wide in the 38th minute.
Trio of subs serve for danger
The start of the second half saw Tom Bischof try his luck from the edge of the box (50’), as Maier then saw his attempt blocked down the other end. Thorup brought on Samuel Essende and Mert Kömür in the 66th minute, with the latter having made his Bundesliga debut away in Sinsheim last season.
The final 20 minutes of play saw FCA record a flurry of chances. Steve Mounié forced Baumann into pushing his attempt away from danger (79’), with Essende unable to convert a fine solo move shortly after. The resulting rebound fell to Kömür, but his shot only hit the side-netting (80’). In the end, neither side was able to break the deadlock before the final whistle went, as the match ended in a 0-0 draw at a sold-out WWK ARENA.
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FC Augsburg will return to league action after the international break, with a trip to FC Bayern München awaiting them on Friday, 22nd November (20:30 CET).
