FCA lose to Werder Bremen 3-1
First Team
17.03.2018, 20:11
Thanks to a brace from Ishak Belfodil (5’, 40’) and a late goal from Max Kruse (82’), FC Augsburg lost to Werder Bremen 3-1 on Bundesliga matchday 27. Rani Khedira gave FCA some hope when he pulled his side within one after 63 minutes, but the comeback was not to be.
Manuel Baum named an unchanged side to the one that beat Hannover away from home 3-1 last week.
The men from Bremen started with a purpose. Maximilian Eggestein took no time at all to test Marwin Hitz from about 16 metres out (1’). Four minutes later, the Switzerland international was picking up the ball from his net, as Ishak Belfodil made a weaving run and slotted the ball home into the bottom-left corner (5’). FCA’s first chance came in the ninth minute through Caiuby, although his long range shot was handled with ease by Jiri Pavlenka.
Florian Kainz was the next to try and catch Hitz out - his curling attempt went over, however (11’). In the 17th minute, Eggestein played the ball into Kruse’s feet with a head of speed, although his resulting shot was too central to cause any threat.
Augsburg seemed to turn things around slightly in the middle of the first half. Philipp Max crossed the ball in the direction of Caiuby, who in turn laid it off to Gregoritsch, who’s thunderous volley went only narrowly over the bar. However, Ishak Belfodil found himself in another 1-on-1 situation shortly before half-time and managed to double Werder’s lead, albeit fortunately. His initial attempt was saved well by Hitz, but the rebound cannoned straight back into the leg of Belfodil and back into the open FCA goal (40’). FCA were down by two heading into the break.
Khedira pulls one back
FC Augsburg were clearly dissatisfied with their first-half performance, and came out of the dressing room looking to put things right. Werder were still the side who looked more likely to score though. Marco Richter cleared a header from Ishak Belfodil off the line in the 53rd minute, before Eggestein tried his luck from 19 metres out in the 57th. If not for Martin Hinteregger getting in the way, it could have been a 3-0 lead for Bremen.
FCA weren’t phased and pushed hard to try and fight back. Caiuby forced Pavlenka into a diving stop in the 62nd minute, before Rani Khedira gave the Werder keeper no chance minutes later. It was Philipp Max who whipped the ball in to the path of the defensive midfielder, who then made no mistake with his header. It was his first goal in FCA colours (63’).
They weren’t done there though, with Michael Gregoritsch and then Philipp Max forcing Pavlenka into exceptional stops (69’ and 72’). The visitors remained very dangerous on the counter and would ultimately make FCA pay.
Baum brought Sergio Cordova into the fold in the closing stages to have a second striker on the pitch, but it wasn’t quite enough. Max Kruse extended the lead to 3-1 in the 82nd minute and put the game to bed. That’s how the game would end.
