Massengo Header Not Enough as Ten-Man Augsburg Draw 1-1 With Ten-Man Union Berlin
Ten against ten ends level on Matchday 7
Augsburg and Union Berlin shared the spoils in a captivating 1-1 draw on Bundesliga Matchday 7, a result that handed Mauro Lustrinelli's side their first points of the campaign away from home. Both teams finished the contest with ten men after red cards to Felix Uduokhai and Juma Bah turned the match on its head.
The goals arrived in a frantic three-minute burst midway through the second half: Han-Noah Massengo headed Augsburg in front on 71 minutes, only for Janik Haberer to level from close range on 74.
Team news
Augsburg head coach Manuel Baum made two changes to the side beaten at Elversberg on Matchday 6, bringing in Anton Kade and Michael Gregoritsch. Union gaffer Mauro Lustrinelli made just one switch from the goalless draw with Borussia Dortmund, starting Livan Burcu ahead of Kastriot Imeri.
Augsburg captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw was named on the bench but was poised to become the club's outright record appearance-maker, sitting level with Daniel Baier on 274 Bundesliga games before kick-off.
Uduokhai sees red as Augsburg dominate but waste chances
Augsburg started the brighter of the two sides, frequently probing forwards in the early stages. Fabian Rieder tested Frederik Rønnow from distance before the game turned on its head in the 19th minute.
Felix Uduokhai, playing against his former club, misplaced a backpass and, as Gregoritsch raced through on goal, the defender hauled him down as last man. The referee showed no hesitation in producing the red card.
Despite being down to ten men, Union held firm through the rest of the half, with Leopold Querfeld introduced for Burcu as the visitors switched to a back five. Augsburg continued to probe but could not find a way past a resolute visiting defence, with Gregoritsch, Rieder, Kade and Arijon Ibrahimović all squandering chances before the break.
Red for Bah precipitates goals at both ends
The pattern continued after the restart, with Augsburg dominating possession but struggling to break down Union's low block, managed with a numerical advantage. That changed in the 63rd minute, however, when Juma Bah lunged late into a challenge on András Schäfer, for which he too was sent off, levelling the numbers at ten against ten.
Moments later, the game opened up. In the 71st minute, Rieder curled a cross from the right that Massengo met with a header into the top right corner to put Augsburg 1-0 up. Yet the lead lasted only three minutes, as a cross caused chaos in the Augsburg box and Haberer turned the loose ball home from close range to make it 1-1.
Augsburg pushed for a winner, with Gregoritsch missing a close-range volley late on, but Union held on to maintain level pegging until the final whistle.
Man of the Match: Han-Noah Massengo
Massengo broke the deadlock with a header into the top corner in the 71st minute, putting Augsburg ahead in a tense contest. What's more, the midfielder was also able to escape from 91 per cent of the pressure situations he faced during the game. As such, he was named Man of the Match by supporters with 35 per cent of the vote.
Bundesliga Match Facts
- xGoals: Augsburg 2.24 - Union Berlin 0.98
- Fastest player: Anton Kade (Augsburg), 33.83 km/h
- Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Han-Noah Massengo (Augsburg), 28 per cent
- Most pressed player: Han-Noah Massengo (Augsburg), 11 times under pressure
- Pass efficiency: Juma Bah (Augsburg), +2.7