FC Augsburg clinched an away win at the start of the 25th Bundesliga matchday. With the win against Arminia Bielefeld, the Fuggerstadt team left the hosts behind in the table.
FC Augsburg has taken another step towards staying in the Bundesliga and increasing concerns about relegation at Arminia Bielefeld. Thanks to the goal from veteran Daniel Caligiuri (50th minute) for a 1-0 win over their neighbors in the table, coach Markus Weinzierl’s team passed East Westphalia in the table and increased the gap to relegation place 16 to three points, at least for one day.
As in the impressive 1-1 draw against second-placed Dortmund a week ago, the Augsburgers benefited from an increase in performance in the second half and, after only their second away win, have new hopes for the final sprint of the season.
On the other hand, Bielefeld could not benefit from the higher number of visitors of 19,460 spectators made possible by the new Corona regulation. After the last six home games without defeat, the 0-1 draw is a bitter setback for East Westphalia.
Male fouls in a hard fought game
The spectators in Bielefeld saw a pure relegation battle. The two teams, who were limited in terms of play, fought many, sometimes tough duels. Every meter was contested, so there were few goal scenes. After just seven minutes, Caligiuri rudely pulled Masaya Okugawa from Bielefeld off his feet. For the Japanese it went on anyway.
For Augsburg’s Felix Uduokhai, on the other hand, it didn’t end so lightly. After a running duel, the defender twisted his ankle and limped off (33′). The pictures didn’t bode well.
Football was also played, albeit without any major highlights in the first half. The supporters of the hosts had to be content with a blocked shot by Arminia veteran Fabian Klos (12th). At the other end, Joel Sarenren Bazee made a dangerous move, but his shot was deflected (37′).
FCA record transfer Pepi not in the starting XI
The FCA attacking player, who last scored against Dortmund, joined the team like Iago and Carlos Gruezo. On the other hand, there was no place in the starting eleven for record purchase Ricardo Pepi, who FCA had brought in for a two-digit million amount in January. Michael Gregoritsch (45 + 1) also caused some danger with a header, favored by a faux pas by Bielefeld’s Guilherme Ramos.
Augsburg also came out of the break better and struck straight away. After a quick attack via Iago, Caligiuri scored the lead with a powerful shot. This was also the signal for Arminia to do more for the offensive game. But a lot remained piecemeal. FCA keeper Rafal Gikiewicz was no longer properly challenged.
