FCA lose in Frankfurt

FCA suffered a blow in their battle to retain their Bundesliga status, losing 3-1 away at Eintracht Frankfurt. The Swabians took an early lead through Jeffrey Gouweleeuw but a late brace from Marco Fabian and a third goal by Ante Rebic gave Eintracht a first victory in ten. Augsburg head coach Manuel Baum made two changes to the side that beat 1. FC Köln at home, replacing Alfred Finnbogason and the injured Ja-Cheol Koo with Dong-Won Ji and Jeffrey Gouweleeuw. The latter was making his comeback in the first team after several weeks out with injury. The hosts put pressure on Augsburg right from the kick-off but they struggled to create any meaningful opportunities. FCA on the other hand were clinical and took their first chance of the game. Halil Altintop got his head up to play in Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, who coolly slid in to chip the ball over Hradecky, off the post and into the net. But Eintracht continued to take the game to the away side, constantly getting the ball forward but still struggling to break down a stubborn Augsburg defence. Their best opportunity came through Ante Rebic, whose effort went just over the bar. It was clear that the early goal had given Baum’s men a lot of confidence as the Fuggerstädter sought to hit the home side on the counterattack. Defender Martin Hinteregger was in prime position to head in from a corner and extend his tally for the season to three but he could not find the target. Frankfurt had far more possession in the first 45 minutes but FCA’s resilience was second to none and they went into the dressing room at the break with their lead in-tact. It was the Hessen who again took the initiative in the second half and Ante Rebic squandered another great chance for Eintracht, firing over the bar. The Swabians continued to look to hurt Frankfurt on the break but the Red-Black-Whites’ domination began to increase and they eventually forced the equaliser. A cross found its way to Marco Fabian who was given too much space to tap in and leave Hitz with no chance. And it was Fabian again who would hit the most brutal blow for Augsburg, smashing home with just four minutes of normal time remaining to turn it around for Kovac’s side. Ante Rebic finally got his goal for the afternoon in stoppage time, slotting into an open goal after a mix-up between Danso and Hitz at the back to complete the turnaround. It is a bitter pill to swallow for Augsburg after holding the lead for so long.