Borussia Dortmund could not manage anything more than a 1-1 (1-1) draw in the away game at FC Augsburg. On Matchday 15 of the Bundesliga, only one of Donyell Malen’s eight shots on goal hit the back of the net.
Boris Rupert reporting from Augsburg
A controversial Demirovic goal gave Augsburg the lead in front of 30,660 spectators in the middle of the first half. Malen equalised twelve minutes later for the BVB side, who were setting the tone of the game. In a lively encounter, which at the end became very one-sided, Malen in particular missed several chances to add a second.
The scenario:
Ninth against fifth. Both teams were in the top half of the table and also had another thing in common: they had only won one of their past five (Augsburg) or even six league games (Dortmund). The head to head record was clearly in BVB’s favour – the Black and Yellows had lost only three of their 24 Bundesliga matches against Augsburg to date, including six of the last eight.
Personnel matters:
BVB had travelled to Augsburg without Hummels (suspended), Adeyemi (muscle injury), Moukoko (torn ligament), Nmecha (hip), Ryerson (knee) and Duranville (only recently back in training). Three days after the intense Champions League match against PSG (1-1), Edin Terzic made four changes to his starting line-up, with Meunier, Schlotterbeck, Can and Malen replacing Hummels, Adeyemi, Wolf and Özcan.
Tactics:
Both teams lined up in the same 4-2-3-1 formation, but with different approaches. Brandt broke forward from the double pivot with Can when BVB had possession of the ball, while Rexhbecaj and Dorsch were predominantly concerned with defensive tasks in the middle of the Augsburg midfield. The FCA attackers initially set up about ten meters into the Dortmund half, but dropped a little deeper as the game wore on. Can often dropped in between the centre-backs during the build-up.
The match & analysis:
In the opening stages, BVB gave the ball away cheaply on numerous occasions, but then improved the precision of their passes. In the eighth minute, Bynoe-Gittens found Reus on the inside-left of the box. The BVB stalwart took a shot, which FCA goalkeeper Dahmen managed to turn around the post for a corner. Shortly afterwards, Schlotterbeck won the ball, and Bensebaini’s backheeled shot on the turn narrowly missed the target in the 9th minute.
Borussia had a lot of control over the game and looked close to scoring the opening goal. Malen’s shot from 17 metres was deflected just wide for a corner on 18 minutes. In the middle of this period of BVB dominance, it was the hosts who made it 1-0. A Pedersen long ball from inside his own half triggered a footrace between Demirovic and Schlotterbeck. The Augsburg man gave the BVB defender a nudge and found himself free in front of Kobel, whom he gave no chance by firing the ball low into the bottom right to make it 1-0 in the 23rd minute. The VAR sent referee Jöllenbeck for an on-field review, but the ref upheld his original decision: goal.
Having taken the lead, Augsburg dropped even deeper. Space up front became increasingly narrow for BVB. Reus therefore dropped deeper, and played a through ball from the halfway line to Malen, which found Füllkrug. The BVB man initially did brilliantly, fending off a challenge from Uduokhai. That exchange of passes opened the way for Malen, who fired the ball precisely into the bottom left from 14 metres out to make it 1-1 in the 35th minute. Shortly before the end of the first half, Malen found Bynoe-Gittens, who cut the ball back to Brandt on the diagonal, but his shot from about 13 metres out sailed over the bar. At the other end, Süle’s last-ditch tackle denied Jensen in the second minute of time added on at the end of the first 45.
The BVB defence was lackadaisical once again at the beginning of the second half, but Tietz did not get enough behind his shot four minutes after the restart, so Kobel had little trouble making the save. Shortly afterwards, Tietz got on the end of a cross from the left wing but headed over on 52 minutes. Augsburg’s centre-forward then had another opportunity, from the left of the six-yard box, and this time forced Kobel into a more drastic intervention, tipping the ball around the post for a corner in the 55th minute.
That was a wake-up call for BVB. After Can and Reyna won the ball, Malen cut the ball back to Füllkrug at the far end of the box, whose shot was turned around the post on 59 minutes. In the 64th minute, Malen did well to beat three opponents and almost scored his second, but an Augsburg defender around the penalty spot got his foot in way and deflected it out for a corner to deny the Dutchman a wonderful solo goal. At the other end, Rexhbecaj found himself free in front of the goal, but Kobel and Schlotterbeck worked together to prevent BVB from falling behind again in the 70th minute.
Most of the action, however, took place in the Augsburg penalty area. Twice in quick succession, Uduokhai cleared when a Black and Yellow shirt was waiting for a tap-in. Nine minutes before the final whistle, Malen caused trouble in the Augsburg box, sending the ball high into the air. The goal was gaping, but Füllkrug sent his header wide of the goal from 18 metres out. In the 86th minute, Malen was denied by Dahmen from an acute angle, and Bamba hit the side-netting on the rebound. Then, with two minutes of regulation time remaining, Dahmen tipped a Füllkrug shot on to the post. But it would not have counted anyway, as the BVB man was offside. A minute later, Malen had another effort, this time using his backheel, but once again Dahmen was in the way. In the fifth minute of added time, Dahmen made one last save, denying Reyna and earning his side a point as the game finished 1-1.
Outlook:
In the final game of 2023, Borussia Dortmund face Mainz 05 on Tuesday (kick-off: 20:30) in SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. Tickets for the game are still available. You can purchase your tickets here.
Teams & goals
Football Bundesliga, Matchday 15
FC AUGSBURG – BORUSSIA DORTMUND 1-1 (1-1)
FC Augsburg: Dahmen – Mbabu (Pfeiffer, 90), Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Pedersen – Rexhbecaj (Breithaupt, 90), Dorsch – Jensen, Demirovic (Vargas, 77), Engels (Gumny, 69) – Tietz (Beljo, 77)
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Meunier, Süle, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Can (Haller, 89), Brandt – Malen, Reus (Reyna, 58), Bynoe-Gittens (Bamba, 71) – Füllkrug
Bench: Koubek, Maier, Michel, Bauer – Meyer, Özcan, Wolf, Sabitzer, Blank, Papadopoulos
Goals: 1-0 Demirovic (23, Pedersen), 1-1 Malen (35, Füllkrug)
Corner kicks: 4-8 (half-time 3-3), Chances: 8-13 (3-5)
Referee: Jöllenbeck (Freiburg), Yellow cards: Gouweleeuw – Haller
Attendance: 30,660 (sold-out), Weather: rainy, 5 degrees