Raul Bobadilla (l.) and Alexander Esswein combined for Augsburg's opening goal. - © © gettyimages / Hassenstein
Raul Bobadilla (l.) and Alexander Esswein combined for Augsburg's opening goal. - © © gettyimages / Hassenstein

Augsburg sweep past below-par Stuttgart

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FC Augsburg swept to their biggest-ever win as they easily saw off the challenge of southern neighbours VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.

VfB Stuttgart 0-4 FC Augsburg

Goals: 0-1 Esswein (11’), 0-2 Esswein (17’), 0-3 Callsen-Bracker (36’), 0-4 Koo (54’)

Augsburg’s away day blues might have been compounded by the heavy rain pre-kick-off, but they quickly put smiles on the soaked faces of their travelling fans. A wonderful through ball from Raul Bobadilla found the run of Alexander Esswein, who finished clinically. Esswein then had the good fortune of seeing Timo Baumgartl divert his volley beyond a wrong-footed Odisseas Vlachodimos.

The young Stuttgart goalkeeper was beaten again soon after when Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker rose to cleanly meet a corner and power home a header that gave the visitors a healthy half-time lead. Fliip Kostic tested Marwin Hitz early in the second half, but the hosts’ ambitions of a comeback were dashed when Ja-Cheol Koo finished clinically following another alert piece of play from Bobadilla, who ideally served the South Korean. Stuttgart rallied late on, and might have some consolation but for Paul Verhaegh blocking Christian Gentner's goalbound shot with Hitz struggling.

Man of the match

Bobadilla did not get on the scoresheet, but his wondrous pass for Esswein for the opening goal laid the platform for Augsburg’s success, and showed the burly forward has more than one string to his bow.

Talking point

Stuttgart's lack of goal threat was all too apparent with Hitz only very rarely called into action.

Match stats

    The 4-0 scoreline marked Augsburg’s biggest-ever Bundesliga win.The win was Augsburg’s first away from home this season.Stuttgart had kept clean sheets in their last two home matches before kick-off.The game was Augsburg’s first away from home in which they had scored three times before the break.Augsburg have now won their last six Bundesliga games against Stuttgart.

Line-ups

Stuttgart: Vlachodimos - Schwaab, Sunjic (Kliment 27’), Baumgartl, Insua - Klein, Serey Die (Rupp 60’), Gentner (c), Kostic (Helser 87') - Didavi - Ti. Werner

Augsburg: Hitz - Verhaegh (c), Callsen-Bracker, Klavan, Max - Baier - Kohr (Altintop 85') - Esswein, Koo (Moravek 74’), Caiuby - Bobadilla (Ji 61’)