Ten-man Augsburg held by ten-man Union Berlin in frantic draw on Matchday 7
With the red card shown to players on both sides, Augsburg and Union Berlin played out a captivating 1-1 draw on Matchday 7, which saw Mauro Lustrinelli's side pick up their first points of the campaign away from home.
Augsburg 1-1 Union Berlin
Goals: 1-0 Massengo 71’ (assist: Rieder), 1-1 Haberer 74’
Red card: Uduokhai 19’, Bah 63’
Augsburg head coach Manuel Baum made two changes to the side beaten in Elversberg on Matchday 6, bringing in Anton Kade and Michael Gregoritsch, whilst Union gaffer Mauro Lustrinelli made just one switch from the goalless draw with Borussia Dortmund, starting Livan Burcu ahead of Kastriot Imeri.
Whilst not selected to start, Augsburg captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw was poised to become the club's outright record appearance-maker, sitting level with Daniel Baier on 274 Bundesliga games before kick-off - a milestone which he ultimately overtook after replacing Calvin Brackelmann in the first half to make his 275th Bundesliga appearance.
Uduokhai sees red, Augsburg dominant but wasteful
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 Han-Noah 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 Janik 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
