Goalless draw sees FCA share spoils with Frankfurt

FC Augsburg came away from their Easter Sunday clash with Eintracht Frankfurt with a point after a goalless draw on matchday 30. Though both sides turned up the heat after the break, neither could find the back of the net.

FCA’s head coach Jess Thorup made two changes to his line-up from the 2-1 victory over Bochum, which saw last week’s clutch player Mert Kömür return to the starting XI alongside Cédric Zesiger following the completion of his suspension.

The conditions were perfect, with the sold-out WWK ARENA glowing in the sunlight, buzzing with the energy of roaring fans. Augsburg set the tone from the offset, immediately looking for ways to create chances. Alexis Claude-Maurice was the first to come close (3’), with Marius Wolf narrowly missing the net ten minutes later. Samuel Essende then came within a whisker of scoring in the 19th minute after his effort curled inches wide of the far post.

The tension became palpable in the 24th minute after Zesiger’s header from a corner was denied by the crossbar, yet Wolf was in an offside position regardless. Frankfurt appeared to lack energy following their Europa League clash on Thursday night, which allowed FCA to assert themselves as the dominant force. Claude-Maurice (35’) and Onyeka (40’) both tried their luck prior to the break, yet were unable find the target, which saw the sides head into half-time level-pegging.

Raising the bar after the break

Rejuvenated from a short rest, French midfielder Claude-Maurice wasted no time after the break, winning the ball back from Koch and pulling the trigger from 16 metres out, yet his effort flew over the crossbar. The scales tipped evenly from this point on, with Frankfurt creating their first clear-cut chance of the game in the 54th minute. After a miscommunication in the penalty area that left Rasmus Kristensen out of position, the woodwork spared Augsburg’s blushes, denying the visitors their opener.

Thorup reacted to the danger with a double substitution, which saw Fredrik Jensen and Mergim Berisha brought into action for FCA. The new signing was a strong fit for the side, immediately testing the Frankfurt defence after pouncing on a cross from Dimitris Giannoulis and hitting the near post with a curling effort shortly after. Augsburg were handed a stroke of luck at the other end of the pitch when Ansgar Knauff was left facing an open net after weaving around Finn Dahmen, yet Zesiger was there to clear the danger at the last moment. The game became a back-and-forth affair until the final whistle, with Matsima’s header missing the target (72’) and Giannoulis failing to find the back of the net with his effort (74’), after which FCA’s keeper Finn Dahmen pulled off two crucial saves against Hugo Ekitiké (77’) and Tuta (81’).

Both teams lacked the finishing touch in the closing stages, with FCA coming painfully close just shy of the final whistle. In the 86th minute, substitute Henri Koudossou immaculately teed up Phillip Tietz, whose strike was denied by Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp. The game concluded after three minutes of added time, leaving both teams with a point apiece after a hard-fought draw. Hoping to bounce back from this week’s result, FCA are set to take on last season’s champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen next Saturday (26th April, 15:30 CEST) at the BayArena.

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