FCA suffer 2-1 defeat to Freiburg despite taking the lead

FC Augsburg looked on course for victory against SC Freiburg for much of the afternoon, but ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat. Michael Gregoritsch put FCA ahead, however the hosts failed to make the most of their chances to double their lead before two Freiburg substitutes turned the game on its head.

Following the 4-2 DFB-Pokal victory in Großaspach, head coach Manuel Baum made several changes to his starting XI. Captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw returned to the centre of defence alongside Yannik Keitel and Chrislain Matsima in place of Juma Bah, who was suspended following his red card against Union Berlin. Michael Gregoritsch started up front against his former club, while Arijon Ibrahimović and Anton Kade, who had both scored off the bench in midweek, were also named in the starting line-up.

The visitors put Augsburg’s defence to work early on. Yannik Keitel made a sliding interception to cut out a pass across the box, before Derry Scherhant seized on a misplaced pass in midfield, cut inside from the left and curled an effort narrowly wide of the top-right corner. FCA’s first attempts came through an Anton Kade header and a long-range strike from Michael Gregoritsch, neither of which seriously troubled the Freiburg goal.

Augsburg then produced a superb move to take the lead in the 18th minute. Michael Gregoritsch found Arijon Ibrahimović near the halfway line before bursting forward into the penalty area. Ibrahimović returned the ball to the Austrian, who fired into the top-left corner to make it 1-0. Freiburg responded by stepping up the pressure and pinning FCA deep inside their own half, but the defence marshalled by Jeffrey Gouweleeuw stood firm, dealing with a succession of free kicks delivered into the box.

Despite Freiburg’s spell of pressure, Augsburg had a golden opportunity to double their lead. Fabian Rieder broke down the left and drilled a ball into the middle, where Michael Gregoritsch struck it first time but was denied by Mio Backhaus. Anton Kade was unable to convert the rebound either (33’). The game was largely played out in the middle of the park for the remainder of the first half, with a tame effort from Ibrahimović proving to be FCA’s final chance before the break.

FCA miss chances to double their lead

After an evenly contested start to the second half, Augsburg began to threaten again. Gregoritsch was put off just as he attempted to head home a cross from Yannik Keitel. Ibrahimović then went close with a long-range effort before forcing Backhaus into another save with a shot on the turn (58’). With the WWK ARENA sold out, FCA pushed for a second goal, but Rieder also fired over from 20 yards out.

Having failed to extend their lead, Augsburg were made to pay in the 66th minute. Half-time substitute Igor Matanović picked up the ball near the edge of the penalty area and struck a powerful shot into the bottom-left corner to bring Freiburg level at 1-1. The contest became increasingly physical after the equaliser, with both sides pushing for another goal but struggling to create clear-cut chances.

With just four minutes of normal time remaining, another Freiburg substitute struck. A cross from the left found Cyriaque Irié at the far post, and the forward, who had only recently come off the bench, headed home to put the visitors 2-1 ahead (86’). FCA threw everything forward in search of a late equaliser, but were unable to prevent defeat.

Augsburg are back in Bundesliga action next Saturday, 7th November, when they travel to RB Leipzig. Kick-off is at 15:30 CET.

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