FC Augsburg suffered a narrow defeat on Saturday afternoon, losing 1-0 at FC Bayern München. Despite a spirited performance against the record champions, FCA were left empty-handed after conceding a late penalty. 

Head coach Markus Weinzierl made one change to the starting XI following Wednesday’s 2-1 win against Mainz. Mads Pedersen was absent after testing positive for Covid-19, and was replaced by Ruben Vargas. The Swiss striker had come off the bench to net the winning goal in the mid-week fixture against the Zerofivers. 

The record champions started well, with Robert Lewandowski nearly getting on the end of a cross into the box (2’) before attempting a shot from a tight angle (5’). FCA didn’t shy away from the challenge and managed to record a few early chances of their own. Vargas (6’) and André Hahn (12’) lacked precision in their attempts, while Joshua Kimmich also just missed the net down the other end (18’). 

As the minutes went by, FCA began to grow into the game, but neither side managed to record any clear-cut chances. Daniel Caligiuri had a shot blocked (24’), as Vargas sent another shot high and over the bar (34’). FCA remained solid at the back, with Dorsch blocking a Lewandowski free-kick from the edge of the penalty box (38’). 

Bayern repeatedly denied by Gikiewicz

After a goalless first half, Bayern nearly found the back of the net immediately after the change of ends. Rafał Gikiewicz was able to claw a header from Lewandowski away from the bottom corner (47‘). The record champions had plenty of pace on their side, but FCA did well to keep them at bay. Andi Zequiri tested Manuel Neuer with a shot (62’), while Gikiewicz was able to deny Kimmich just minutes later (63’). 

It took until the latter stages of the second half for Bayern to look threatening in front of goal again, as Lewandowski sent a header wide before Kingsley Coman (74’) and Jamal Musiala both missed the target in quick succession (75‘).

Lewandowski scores from the spot

With less than 10 minutes left to play, referee Patrick Ittrich pointed to the spot after a handball from Reece Oxford in the box. After VAR confirmed the decision, Lewandowski stepped up and converted the spot-kick to put the hosts 1-0 up (82’). Bayern had other chances to score late on, as Gikiewicz parried a shot from Coman before Kimmich smashed one off the bar (85’). 

In the end, FCA ended their double game week with a narrow defeat. Next weekend, they will host Hertha BSC on Saturday, 16th April (15:30 CEST). 

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