Alfred Finnbogason scores two penalties in hat-trick for Augsburg over Mainz
Alfred Finnbogason netted a hat-trick including two penalties as Augsburg recorded just their second home win of the season in a 3-0 victory over Mainz.
Augsburg 3-0 Mainz
Goals: 1-0 Finnbogason (pen. 8’), 2-0 Finnbogason (pen. 34’), 3-0 Finnbogason (54’)
The home side quickly got down to business with the second-quickest penalty of their Bundesliga history when Daniel Brosinski handled a cross from the left. Undeterred by the falling snow, Iceland international Finnbogason stepped and sent goalkeeper Florian Müller the wrong way. The striker was then called into action from 12 yards for a second time when Moussa Niakhate was adjudged to have flicked a corner with his hand after consultation with VAR. Müller went the right way on this occasion but Finnbogason remained cool to fire the ball into the corner for his fifth Bundesliga brace.
Augsburg maintained the pressure after the break and Finnbogason completed his hat-trick after just 10 minutes when Michael Gregoritsch and Jan Moravek combined on the run before slipping in the striker, who finished past Müller with a lovely outside-of-the-boot effort. He did have the ball in the back of the net for a fourth time but was offside and had to settle for just the three goals, meaning four of the last five Augsburg hat-tricks in the Bundesliga have gone to the Icelander. There was a special moment late on when Ja-Cheol Koo, returning from the Asian Cup, came on for his 200th Bundesliga appearance, becoming just the second South Korean to reach the landmark after Bum-Kun Cha. Minutes before the final whistle, English defender Reece Oxford came on for his Augsburg debut in his third Bundesliga loan spell.
Match stats
- Finnbogason ended his 497-minute goal drought in the Bundesliga.
- He netted his fourth hat-trick in the top flight, and his second of the season.
- The Iceland international has converted all eight of his penalties in the Bundesliga.
- Die Fuggerstädter were awarded two penalties in a single game for the second time in the Bundesliga (previously vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach in September 2015).
- Augsburg ended a 10-match winless run in the Bundesliga, avoiding setting a new club record in the top flight.
- Mainz failed to score for the first time in 11 league outings, two short of their Bundesliga record of 13 under Thomas Tuchel.
Line-ups
Augsburg: Kobel – Schmid, Danso, Khedira, Stafylidis – Moravek (Oxford 87'), Baier (c) – Hahn, Gregoritsch, Ji (Koo 68’) – Finnbogason (Cordova 76’)
Unused subs: Luthe, Callsen-Bracker, Richter, Max
Out: Framberger (knee), Jakub (ankle), Schieber (thigh), Gouweleeuw (groin)
Coach: Manuel Baum
Mainz: Müller – Brosinski (c), Niakhate, Hack, Martin – Gbamin, Baku (Onisiwo 73’), Latza (Maxim 44’) – Boetius – Mateta (Ujah 58’), Quaison
Unused subs: Zentner, Öztunali, Kunde, Holtmann
Out: Adler (knee), Bell (suspended), Berggreen (hamstring), Burkardt (adductor), Mwene (knee)
Coach: Sandro Schwarz
Watch: Alfred Finnbogason on Augsburg's much-needed win
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