FCA suffer a 4-1 loss at home against Leverkusen
Niederlechner scores first goal of the season
First Team
28.08.2021, 17:34
FC Augsburg have sustained another defeat in their second home game of the season. The Fuggerstädter lost 4-1 against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday afternoon. FCA were in the game for long periods, but eventually failed to come away with any reward for their efforts.
Head coach Markus Weinzierl made two changes to the team that drew 0-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt. Carlos Gruezo and Daniel Caligiuri replaced Raphael Framberger (bench) and Jan Morávek (muscle injury) in the starting eleven.
Augsburg started well but started an early setback. Iago tried to clear the ball after the team had failed to get it away, but in doing so inadvertently dinked it over Rafał Gikiewicz and into his own net, making it 1-0 to Leverkusen (3’). FCA didn’t let the goal affect them, however, and their lively start to the game continued, with Mitchel Bakker being forced into a last-ditch clearance from André Hahn (8’). At the other end Leverkusen were more clinical. Kerem Demirbay swung the ball in to the near post from a corner, and a slight deflection off the unfortunate Florian Niederlechner made it 2-0 (14’).
Gikiewicz saves from Paulinho – Niederlechner halves the deficit
FCA carried on fighting after the second goal and tried to get forward, though this left Leverkusen with a lot of space to work with. Paulinho saw his chip land just off target (22’), before losing out to Gikiewicz after being put through on goal (27’). FCA got themselves back into the game shortly after. After a cross from Iago and a lack of communication between goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky and Bakker, Niederlechner gratefully tucked the ball home from close range to make it 2-1 with Augsburg’s first goal of the season (30’).
Ruben Vargas had the chance to equalise just before the break, but Hradecky was on hand to save (39’). Meanwhile, referee Benjamin Brand disallowed a goal from Moussa Diaby after a handball in the build-up (43’).
Schick and Wirtz make sure of the three points
FCA came out of the dressing room with intent and had good chances early in the second half. Daniel Caligiuri missed a volley from a promising position (54’) and Niederlechner also missed with a side-footed effort (61’). Leverkusen also looked dangerous and Schick put his shot just over the bar after 58 minutes.
Augsburg were dominating and pressing for the equaliser, but Leverkusen used the spaces left at the back with clinical precision. Florian Wirtz fed Schick on the counter who made it 3-1 after a well placed shot into the corner (75’). Shortly after, the away side put the game to bed. A long ball from Demirbay found Wirtz who rounded the onrushing Gikiewicz and slotted into an empty net from an angle for 4-1 (81’). In the end, the score could have been worse, but Schick (88’) and Amine Adli (89’) both hit the woodwork.
This was the second successive home defeat for FCA who play away at 1.FC Union Berlin on Saturday 11th September (15:30 CEST) after the international break.
