Augsburg measure 6-0 on the Richter scale against sorry VfB Stuttgart
Augsburg moved 10 points clear of the drop zone, but VfB Stuttgart remain in deep relegation trouble after Marco Richter scored another brace in a seismic 6-0 victory at the WWK Arena.
Augsburg 6-0 VfB Stuttgart
Goals: 1-0 Khedira (11'), 2-0 Hahn (18'), 3-0 Max (29'), 4-0 Richter (53'), 5-0 Max (59'), 6-0 Richter (68')
Buoyed by last weekend’s shock win over top-four contenders Eintracht Frankfurt, Augsburg had already gone close through Richter when Rani Khedira volleyed in from Jonathan Schmid with just 11 minutes on the clock. Mario Gomez fired at Andreas Luthe from close range, before Stuttgart allowed Andre Hahn all the time in the world to bring a Schmid corner under wraps and drive low into the net. Augsburg added a third before the half-hour mark, with Philipp Max skipping the offside trap to apply an emphatic finish to Richter’s through-ball.
Anastasios Donis and Daniel Didavi entered the Stuttgart fray after the restart, but Markus Weinzierl’s half-time tinkerings failed to arrest the slide. Richter thrashed in an exquisite volley after the visitors failed to clear a deflected strike from Konstantinos Stafylidis, before Max met Hahn’s pass with his second and Augsburg’s fifth with less than an hour gone. Luthe’s goal-line double save to deny Didavi and Gomez summed up Stuttgart’s afternoon, which went from bad to cataclysmic when Richter thrashed in a 25-yard rocket for his second brace in as many games, leaving VfB six points adrift of safety with 12 left to play for.
Match stats
- Augsburg scored three first-half goals for the first time.
- Augsburg had never scored six goals in a Bundesliga game before today.
- Stuttgart have conceded a league-high 67 goals after 30 matches.
- VfB have shipped six in one Bundesliga game only once before - in Bremen in 1985.
- Max has scored a career-best four single-season goals so far this season.
- Augsburg have scored 15 goals from set pieces this season, equalling a club record.
- Khedira has scored four times this season. He had only scored once in the Bundesliga prior to 2018/19.
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Line-ups
Augsburg: Luthe – Schmid, Gouweleeuw (Oxford 64'), Danso, Stafylidis – Khedira (Moravek 37'), Baier (c) – Hahn, Richter (Schieber 79'), Max – Gregoritsch
Unused subs: Leneis, Janker, Teigl, Cheon
Out: Cordova (groin), Finnbogason (calf), Framberger (cruciate ligament), Giefer (ankle), Götze (hip), Ji (unconfirmed)
Coach: Martin Schmidt
Stuttgart: Zieler – Kabak, Baumgartl, Kempf – Pavard – Esswein (Didavi 46'), Castro, Zuber, Insua (Donis 46') – Gomez (c), Gonzalez
Unused subs: Grahl, Aogo, Thommy, Akolo, Beck
Out: Ascacibar (suspended), Badstuber (calf) Gentner (calf), Maffeo (not considered)
Coach: Markus Weinzierl
Related news
How does Leverkusen's undefeated run compare?
Leverkusen have gone 42 games undefeated across all competitions, but do they have the Bundesliga record? And what other teams have come close?
Will Leverkusen claim title against Bremen?
Leverkusen could be crowned champions before a ball is even kicked on Sunday. If not, a win over Bremen will seal the deal.
Can Bayern prolong title defence?
The record champions could be officially dethroned and even surrender second place, with Cologne the visitors to the Allianz Arena on Saturday.