Borussia Dortmund 4-3 Augsburg
This game is a Bundesliga classic, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
I predicted this game to be a rather tight contest as Augsburg have kept up with them over the past couple of games. It did seem at times that Augsburg will pull off an upset, but Lucien Favre’s brilliant substitutions changed the flow of the game and ultimately won them the three points!
Paco Alcacer and Mario Gotze are the toast of Dortmund after such a fantastic seven-goal thriller!
Highlights of the game
The BVB started the game full of confidence after an impressive Champions League outing against Monaco. Marco Reus and company started their attacks with much purpose and were threatening to score with their quick attacking football within the first fifteen minutes.
Reus had a chance to get the ball through and challenge Andreas Luthe, but the Augsburg defence was more than ready for the captain’s approach and quickly sealed off his movements. Meanwhile, Philipp Max was extra active on the attacking end of the football, as the full-back whipped in a couple of early corners and crosses from the left wing.
While Dortmund dominated much of the opening minutes, they weren’t able to make the most of their chances. And it’s the BVB’s failure to secure an early goal that came back to haunt them when Augsburg struck first blood.
Dortmund fouled in a dangerous position, giving the Fuggerstadt a chance to score. The subsequent free-kick didn’t reach any white shirt, but Dortmund’s poor clearance saw the ball end up in Alfred Finnbogason’s hands. The Augsburg ace will not miss from that close of a distance, and he easily beat Roman Burki for the shocking away lead.
The star attacker’s goal seemingly woke the BVB up, and they have started to mount one strong attack after another. Achraf Hakimi almost equalised two minutes later after pulling off a powerful shot from the edge of the box. However, Luthe pulled off a fantastic save to deny the equaliser.
Dortmund furiously tried to snag the equaliser through the rest of the first half, and it was obvious to everyone that the BVB were the ones in control of the game. However, Augsburg’s defence was resolute, and Lucien Favre headed straight to the locker room as Markus Schmidt blew his whistle to end the first half.
The famous Yellow Wall kept on roaring to cheer their team on as the second half got underway. They had more than enough belief that their lads will be able to score more goals in the half. The team matched the crowd’s passion, but they were just unable to crack through the visitor’s defence.
It didn’t take long for the BVB to find an equaliser to respond to the fans’ passion. Jadon Sancho beat the offside trap and brought the ball to the right. The 22-year-old made a beautiful low cross to substitute Paco Alcacer. The loanee from Barcelona immediately slotted the ball past Luthe for the goal.
However, this half would become a very tense one for the BVB. Andre Hahn received a beautiful cross from the right in the 71st minute to deflect the ball towards a speeding Philipp Max. The 25-year-old powered the ball past Burki and into the roof of the net.
Alcacer immediately brought the team back to the game with another sublime finish. Raphael Guerreiro supplied a beautiful pass from the set piece. Alcacer beat the offside trap and unleashed a beauty of a near-post goal. The Signal Iduna Park was electric with the Spaniard’s outstanding performance.
Four minutes later, another Favre substitute made his mark in the game. Hakimi whipped in a beautiful pass to Mario Gotze, and the polarising midfielder beat Luthe one more time. It was like a scene from a movie. The once-prodigal son produced a moment of brilliance.
The dream didn’t last long, though, as Michael Gregoritsch got hold of an 87th-minute Philipp Max corner, and there was no Dortmund shirt contesting his shot. He headed the ball straight towards the net, and Burki wasn’t able to keep it out. Everyone at the stadium was stunned as Gregoritsch celebrated in front of the yellow-clad audience.
It seemed like the game would end this way, and everyone got tense as the 94th minute came unto them. The last play of the game was a free kick, and Alcacer was coolly walking to the spot to take the kick.
He knew he was on fire. He fired a beauty of a curler to the right side of the goal. Luthe went the other way. The ball went in. Everyone jumped up and down. Burki ran all the way from his penalty box to celebrate with the team. Augsburg were stunned. Any doubts the Spanish national team (and the rest of the Bundesliga) have about Alcacer should be gone by now.
This game will be in a lot of Bundesliga 2018 highlights, that’s for sure.
Key statistics
The second half of this instant classic gave us nothing but exciting attacking football. Six of the seven goals scored in this game was scored in the second half, with four of those being scored in the last 14 minutes of the game.
Dortmund totally deserved the three points after an outstanding performance. They had 65% of possession, made 20 goal attempts, got 22 free kicks, and forced four saves from Luthe. Augsburg also struggled to contain them: they ended the match with 22 fouls and an eye-catching seven yellow cards.
What’s next?
The Bundesliga 2018 odds for the BVB at leading betting sites like SBOBET should have dropped after such a fantastic comeback. They will have a bit of a rest during the international break, but they will be playing Alemannia Aachen in a friendly. They will then play Stuttgart away from Signal Iduna Park once the league returns to its regular programming.
Meanwhile, Augsburg’s schedule doesn’t get any easier. They will be facing RB Leipzig up next, and they could easily drop to as low as 13th place if they don’t win here. Fortunately for them, an easier match against Hannover awaits after the Red Bulls.
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