Highlights
Advertisement
0:31
Watch: Alonso: "We need to play with pride and honour"
Full-time: Leverkusen 2-0 Augsburg
© IMAGO/Marco Bader
Full-time
90'
+ 2
Demolition men
Duels won
14
12
Emiliano Buendía Frank Onyeka
90'
+ 1
Three minutes to go
Another 180 seconds of action still to come.
90'
Adli goes close!
Frimpong crosses from the right and Adli rises to meet it at the back post. The angle is too tight and Dahmen saves, but it's a good attempt from Leverkusen, who keep pushing despite the comfortable scoreline.
90'
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
87'
Dangerous play
The home side work the ball down the left and Grimaldo crosses. Arthur, on the penalty spot, goes for an audacious bicycle kick but almost takes the head off a defender. The referee blows for a foul against the Werkself man, who is then subbed off.
86'
Substitution
82'
Wirtz leaves the field
Starboy Wirtz comes off with the job looking largely done.
82'
Substitution
82'
Wayward
Grimaldo has room to strike on the left of the Augsburg box but it balloons high and wide.
81'
Substitution
79'
Hofmann inches wide!
Leverkusen break down the left flank before the ball is fed centrally to Hofmann. The forward's first touch cushions it down for a half-volley, which he sends whistling just past Dahmen's right post from the edge of the area. Lovely strike, but just off target.
76'
Tietz really should score!
Zesiger beats a man inside the Leverkusen half and, from a left-central position, swings a smart ball over the defence and straight onto the head of an unmarked Tietz, just a few feet from goal. The striker gets a good connection but sends a powerful effort straight down the middle of goal, where Kovář gratefully catches.
75'
Visitors on top
Augsburg win a third corner in as many minutes as the pressure on Leverkusen slowly begins to build. The home side are sitting quite deep and inviting it onto them. Can Augsburg punish them?
71'
Substitution
Divine intervention
© INA FASSBENDER
68'
Ball hoggers
The home side enjoy a long spell of possession after beating Augsburg's high press. Wirtz and Xhaka at the centre of things, as is so often the case. The visitors chasing shadows in their own half.
64'
Substitution
64'
Substitution
64'
Substitution
62'
Essende just wide!
Augsburg work the ball into the area from the left and it's brought down by Essende, back to goal. He uses his strength to hold off his marker, pushes the ball to the right of goal and forces a shot from a tight angle. It flies wide of the far post. He's big, he's strong and, with a little more composure, he could have had two now. Excellent centre-forward play.
60'
Kovář uncertain
Augsburg have two corners in quick succession and Kovář comes to claim both, only to miss the pair of them. It creates a little uncertainty in his box but Leverkusen clear.
56'
Pressure Handling
Pressure Handling
This Match Fact examines how successfully players perform under pressure. The percentage of "solved situations" indicates how often a player has freed himself from opponent pressure by dribbling, passing, scoring a goal or drawing a foul.
92%
%
Granit Xhaka
12 times under pressure
55'
Substitution
55'
Substitution
55'
Substitution
53'
Pass masters
49'
Wirtz lets fly
Tah sends a long, arcing diagonal to Wirtz, high on the left flank. The latter brings it down, cuts inside his marker and shoots from the edge of the box. It's bouncing, it's awkward, but Dahmen gets low to parry away to safety.
48'
Leverkusen back on top
The game resumes just about where it left off –with the home side dominating the ball and looking for openings.
Kick-off!
Half-time
Half-time: Leverkusen 2-0 Augsburg
© IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Axel Kohring
45'
+ 1
Breathing space!
The champions have a cushion now. They had wanted a penalty for a push on Grimaldo inside the box but no dice. The cleared ball is won back and worked to Buendía, on the left of the Augsburg area. The little creator gets it out of his feet, finds a shooting angle and fizzes one into the far corner. Lovely finish.
Goal probability
Goal probability
Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.
Shot speed
Shot speed
Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.
Distance to Goal
Distance to Goal
The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.
44'
Sharp Schick
Shots
2
2
Patrik Schick Samuel Essende
40'
Counter culture
Leverkusen look to launch another dangerous counter and feed Wirtz, sprinting in-behind the Augsburg defence. He takes a smart touch and bursts towards goal but is dispossessed before he can shoot. He may have been offside in the build-up anyway, but Leverkusen are looking sharp on the break today.
34'
Game paused
A clash of heads sees the medical staff come on and the game take a short break. Arthur appears to be a good deal of pain. Alonso uses the hiatus to issues instructions to his players.
33'
The right way
Almost half of Leverkusen's attacks (48 per cent) have come down the right-hand side. Tella and Arthur really causing headaches down that flank so far.
Cometh the hour...
© IMAGO/Taisei Iwamoto
30'
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes
Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes
Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.
26'
Goal chalked off!
Wirtz, high on the left flank and in bags of space, whips a lovely ball across goal, where Tella awaits at the back post. The winger nods it inside the post and the net ripples – only for VAR to intervene and rule it offside.
25'
SituationGoal
ReviewOffside?
DecisionNo goal
24'
Too much
Leverkusen break down the left and Wirtz finds himself one on one with his defender. But he dawdles too long and is dispossessed. Good defending from Augsburg.
22'
High and wide
Essende collects the ball inside the Leverkusen half, high on the right, and releases a powerful drive from the edge of the area. It balloons high and wide.
21'
Strong start
Goal attempts
3off target
2on target
1off target
0on target
19'
Leverkusen looking comfortable
Since the opener, Leverkusen look relaxed, stroking the ball around and teasing the visitors.
13'
Schick opens the scoring!
Lethal counter from Leverkusen, who beat the Augsburg high press and find Wirtz with space on the halfway line. The young superstar spins a defender and slips in Tella, haring down the right. The winger feeds it inside to Schick, who has space to run at goal. The visiting defenders back off, and he smashes it from just outside the box. It takes a wicked deflection and fizzes beyond Dahmen.
Goal probability
Goal probability
Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.
Shot speed
Shot speed
Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.
Distance to Goal
Distance to Goal
The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.
12'
Wirtz hits one
Leverkusen expertly play through Augsburg's high press and work the ball forward at pace. It's fed to Wirtz, left-centre of the area and the German lets fly. His shot goes through the legs of the defender but it's too central and Dahmen scoops securely.
12'
Leverkusen take charge
Possession (%)
5743
8'
Strong as an ox
Essende bullies the ball from Tapsoba near the halfway line, out on the right flank, and races towards goal. He cuts inside Tah, who tries to recover, and releases a left-footed shot from just outside the box. It sails over, but that was brilliant centre-forward play.
4'
Positive start
The visitors make a bright start at a gloriously sunny BayArena, keeping the ball well and looking to work an opening in the Leverkusen half.
Kick-off!
Thorup changes two
The Augsburg coach makes two swaps from the starting XI that defeated Wolfsburg last time out. Jensen and Tietz make way for Jakić and Essende.
Alonso changes four
The Spanish coach makes four alterations to the side that drew with Pauli last time out. Goalkeeper Hrádecký drops to the bench for Kovář. Hincapié sits out, along with Palacios and Frimpong. Arthur, Andrich and Buendía replace those three.
Augsburg starting XI
Dahmen - Matsima, Gouweleeuw (c), Zesiger - Wolf, Jakić, Onyeka, Giannoulis - Rexhbecaj, Claude-Maurice - Essende
Augsburg subs
Labrović, Meiser, K. Schlotterbeck, Cabrera, F. Jensen, Kömür, Koudossou, P. Tietz
Leverkusen starting XI
Kovář - Arthur, Tah (c), Tapsoba, Grimaldo - Tella, Xhaka, Andrich, Buendía - Wirtz - Schick
Leverkusen subs
Hrádecký, Frimpong, Hincapié, Natali, Aleix García, Hofmann, Palacios, Adli, Boniface
3:18
Watch: Eyes on Alonso
Werkself European-bound
While their title defence is hanging on a thread, Leverkusen can take pride in having comfortably qualified again for the UEFA Champions League with matches to spare. Augsburg may have gone into Matchday 31 in tenth, but as they were just four points down on sixth-placed Mainz and six points behind fourth-placed Leipzig, a result in Leverkusen would boost their own hopes of qualifying for Europe.
Cracking the Augsburg defensive code
© IMAGO/nordphoto GmbH / Hafner
Xabi Alonso on Leverkusen's recent form
© IMAGO/Rene Nijhuis/MB Media
Jess Thorup's thoughts
© IMAGO/Oliver Ruhnke
Last chance saloon?
© IMAGO/Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON
2:03
Watch: Augsburg 0-2 Leverkusen - previous meeting
Contrasting fortunes
Visitors Augsburg have picked up a 24 points in the second half of the season and are looking to achieve a club record of nine unbeaten away games in the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, Leverkusen's 10th draw of the season at Pauli last weekend left Alonso's men eight points behind leaders Bayern with four games to go. Historically, such a deficit has never been overturned at this stage of a Bundesliga campaign.
2:03
Watch: St. Pauli 1-1 Leverkusen - highlights
2:03
Watch: Augsburg 0-0 Frankfurt - previous meeting