Augsburg earn first Bundesliga win over Dortmund
Dortmund - Borussia Dortmund’s struggles continued on Matchday 19 after they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to FC Augsburg.
BVB shade first half
Despite the visitors being reduced to ten men following Christoph Janker’s red card, BVB were short of inspiration against a compact Augsburg team, who ground out all three points thanks to Raul Bobadilla’s solitary strike.
Jürgen Klopp recalled Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ilkay Gündogan to his starting line-up, but it was the dynamic duo of Marco Reus and Kevin Kampl that provided the early BVB threat. Ciro Immobile picked the pocket of Ragnar Klavan and fed Kampl, who fired his shot wide from a tight angle, while Reus then lashed a half-volley against the outside of the post.
Aubameyang, making his first appearance since returning from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, also tested Alex Manninger with a low drive and then had a close-range effort ruled out for offside as the home side turned the screw. The home fans were left frustrated until the break, however, with some error-strewn build-up play, coupled with some organised Augsburg defending, ensuring the scores were level at the interval.
Bobadilla strikes
Augsburg had barely threatened in the first half save for a Paul Verhageh shot that flew wide, but they gradually gained a foothold in the game and grabbed the opening goal just after the restart, Bobadilla punishing some lax defending with a left-foot shot following Halil Altintop’s charging run.
The home fans were becoming increasingly frustrated with their side, but they were given a break on 64 minutes when debutant Christoph Janker was sent off for a professional foul after tugging down Aubameyang. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Shinji Kagawa were introduced as Klopp went for broke, but Augsburg dealt comfortably with what was thrown at them - including a late close-range header from Immobile - to secure their first-ever Bundesliga win against Dortmund. Borussia, meanwhile, continue to prop up the league table after an 11th defeat of the campaign.
Line-ups and statistics
You can see Bobadilla's stunning winner below, courtesy of the Bundesliga's official YouTube channel .
