2-0 win in Halle sends FCA into the second round of the cup

FC Augsburg opened their DFB-Pokal campaign on Sunday evening with a 2-0 victory away to Hallescher FC. Against a fourth-tier side who put up a strong fight for long spells, Sandro Wagner’s team delivered a composed performance to book their place in the second round.

Wagner’s first competitive XI included summer signing Han-Noah Massengo, while fellow newcomers Robin Fellhauer, Elias Saad and Kyliane Dong began on the bench. Captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw was fit again following hand surgery, but Alexis Claude-Maurice, Maximilian Bauer and Elvis Rexhbecaj were ruled out. Yusuf Kabadayi was also not yet ready to feature.

Augsburg seized control from the first whistle and could have taken an early lead when Steve Mounié volleyed narrowly wide inside the opening minute. FCA enjoyed over 60 percent possession in the first half, moving the ball patiently in search of gaps against Halle’s deep-lying defence. At the back, Wagner’s side looked solid, though they had a scare in the 11th minute when Fakhro broke clear for the hosts – only for Finn Dahmen to come up with a vital save.

At the other end, Mert Kömür’s dribbling, along with deliveries from Marius Wolf and Dimitris Giannoulis, kept testing the Regionalliga side’s back line. Mounié also drew another stop from goalkeeper Müller (23’), but the breakthrough remained elusive before the interval.

Saad and Essende combine off the bench

The deadlock was finally broken just after half time following an excellent team move. Wolf crossed into the box, Phillip Tietz flicked the ball on intelligently towards the byline, where debutant Fellhauer kept it alive with a sharp delivery. His cross found Mounié, who made no mistake with his header at the third attempt to give FCA a deserved 1-0 lead.

In the 79th minute, two substitutes combined to seal the result. After a turnover in midfield, debutant Saad slid a perfectly timed pass through for Samuel Essende, who finished coolly with his left foot for 2-0. The striker almost added a third shortly afterwards.

FCA managed the closing stages with composure, allowing Halle more of the ball at times but giving up little in the way of chances. Wagner, who drove his team on energetically from the touchline all evening, was rewarded with a convincing start to competitive action and safe passage into the next round.

Focus now turns to the Bundesliga, with the opening fixture away to SC Freiburg on Saturday, 23rd August (15:30 CEST).

Unsere FCA-APP

Jetzt herunterladen!