After the final whistle, Julian Schuster reported having “mixed feelings” about the draw. A relatively chanceless first half was followed by an enthralling second 45, with four goals and a back-and-forth final 30 minutes.

Four days after the defeat to RB Leipzig, 1,400 fans accompanied SC to Augsburg, where the coaching staff made four changes to the starting XI. Fit-again Matthias Ginter, Jordy Makengo, Vincenzo Grifo and Igor Matanovic lined up in place of Anthony Jung, Christian Günter, Yuito Suzuki and Patrick Osterhage. Four former Freiburg players – Michael Gregoritsch, Keven Schlotterbeck, Robin Fellhauer and Yannik Keitel – started for the hosts.

In Leipzig, SC only had one chance all game, and they had already matched their tally by the fourth minute of the match in Augsburg. After a pass from Lucas Höler, Grifo got a shot off from 16 yards out which went narrowly wide. It would end up being the only attempt on FCA’s goal for a while, since the game was halted after six minutes. Due to smoke from pyrotechnics in the away end, there was limited visibility. Referee Martin Petersen let the smoke dissipate, eventually resuming the game five minutes after the interruption. In the aftermath of the enforced stoppage, both defences had found their feet and kept chances to a minimum.

SC attempted to pile pressure on the new-look Augsburg backline in which Keitel was making his debut at left-back. However, aside from Grifo’s effort in the fourth minute, Freiburg were unable to carve out any clear-cut opportunities for the remainder of the first half. On the other hand, Augsburg had their first big chance in the 20th minute. After a free-kick, Schlotterbeck headed goalwards, but he was denied by Atubolu. The hosts did little to develop their attacking play in the first half in front of their own fans, instead opting to sit deep in their own half. It was down to SCF to be patient and exploit the gaps in their defence.

Atubolu keeps his eye on the ball

Even so, the fifteenth-placed side in the table had the best chance of the encounter up to that point in the 33rd minute, breaking from their defensive set-up in the process. A cross from the right flank found an almost unmarked Alexis Claude-Maurice at the back post. Atubolu got a hand to the midfielder’s header to divert it out for a corner. Two minutes later, he neutralised the threat of Kristijan Jakic’s cross turning into a shot on goal. Just before the break, Gregoritsch had another chance for the home side.

Augsburg’s quickfire start to the second 45

FCA had the final chance of the first half and the first chance of the second half. After the latter, the Augsburg goal anthem rang out around the WWK ARENA. Claude-Maurice connected with another cross from the right flank, this time on the volley. On this occasion, his effort from twelve yards out took an unfortunate deflection off Lukas Kübler and found the back of the net to make it 1-0 to Augsburg (47’). Almost directly after that, Freiburg experienced déjà vu from their match against Leipzig. Just two minutes after the opener, SC conceded again. This time, it was Elvis Rexhebecaj who headed home after a short corner (49’).

Freiburg hit back

The coaching staff reacted to the double sucker punch by making three attacking changes. Yuito Suzuki, Niklas Beste and Derry Scherhant all entered the fray. Suzuki’s substitution paid off on in the 60th minute. The Japan international reduced the deficit with a well-taken volley following a set piece, making the scoreline 2-1 just after the hour mark. Just as Augsburg did earlier in the half, Freiburg bagged a second goal in the space of two minutes, getting back on level terms in the process. After a corner from Beste, the ball was headed goalwards by Johan Manzambi. First, Gregoritsch blocked the midfielder’s effort on the line with his arm, but Matanovic was in the right place at the right time to smash the rebound into the back of the net and make it 2-2.

The game remained an open affair after the four goals, with Freiburg’s three changes proving to have been shrewd calls only minutes after coming on. Scherhant was only prevented from getting a shot off in the 71st minute by to a last-ditch challenge. Freiburg almost turned the game around in the 73rd minute, with Augsburg keeper doing just enough to steer Patrick Osterhage’s shot away from goal. The game at the WWK ARENA had developed into a far more intense, and far more attacking affair since the end of the first half. 

Back and forth

Matanovic seemed to have completed the turnaround for SCF in the 79th minute. He prodded home the rebound after Scherhant hit the bar, but the striker’s second goal of the encounter was disallowed after the ball was shown to have gone out of play before Suzuki crossed the ball into Scherhant. Beste noted that the game remained open in the closing stages and momentum changed hands several times. “Both teams had so much space. I think that we would’ve had the chance to win if we played better in a couple of situations.”

His head coach also echoed that the game had been a back-and-forth affair. “It’s frustrating that we went behind. The reaction we showed with the fresh legs was very good, though. Then, we even scored a goal that was chalked off. Even if Augsburg had had another chance, we’d still view the last half an hour positively.”

SCF will be back in action on Thursday. They take on Maccabi Tel Aviv in a Europa League clash at the Europa-Park Stadion.

Photo: Achim Keller