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Comfortable victory over Augsburg
Personnel & tactics:
Head coach Sebastian Hoeness made seven changes to the starting XI that had drawn 0-0 away at Red Star Belgrade. Goalkeeper Oliver Baumann was protected by a back four of Stefan Posch, Kevin Vogt, Håvard Nordtveit and Ryan Sessegnon. Diadie Samassékou, Sebastian Rudy, Christoph Baumgartner and Florian Grillitsch lined up in midfield, while Andrej Kramarić partnered Ihlas Bebou in attack.
TSG made their first substitution in the 69th minute when Rudy made way for Robert Skov. The Dane slotted into the attack and Grillitsch dropped back. Mijat Gaćinović then replaced Baumgartner in midfield for the final minutes (87).
Moment of the match:
The goal that made it 3-1: Ihlas Bebou rounded off a lovely counter-attacking move by outmanoeuvring two opponents, cutting into the centre and then wrong-footing Rafael Gikiewicz with a shot inside the near post (50).
Number of the game: 74
Florian Grillitsch's last Bundesliga goal came 74 games ago, in a 3-3 draw at Borussia Mönchengladbach on 17 March 2018. Today he scored twice – his first brace in the German top flight.
Line-ups:
TSG Hoffenheim: Baumann – Posch, Vogt, Nordtveit, Sessegnon – Samassékou – Rudy (Skov, 69), Baumgartner (Gaćinović, 87) – Grillitsch – Kramarić, Bebou
FC Augsburg: Gikiewicz – Framberger (Gumny, 72), Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Suchy – Strobl, Gruezo – Caligiuri, Vargas – Niederlechner, Gregoritsch (Richter, 62)
Goals: 1-0 Grillitsch (17), 1-1 Caligiuri (31), 2-1 Grillitsch (46), 3-1 Bebou (50)
Match highlights
What a brilliant assist by Christoph Baumgartner. The Austrian cuts into the penalty area and delicately chips the ball towards the back post from the left, leaving Grillitsch with a simple header from close range.
Almost 2-0. Posch picks out Bebou, who beats a man before teeing up Grillitsch. But the latter's strike zips just over the crossbar.
Sessegnon delivers a dangerous cross from the left. Rudy goes for goal at the back post but Gikiewicz manages to make the stop.
A second goal is looking likely. TSG brilliantly switch the play to the right flank. Rudy plays a clever low pass towards Baumgartner, only for Gikiewicz to show great reflexes and block the shot with his foot.
Kramarić fires a curling left-footed effort from the corner of the box towards the far corner, but the ball sails narrowly wide of the post. Gikiewicz was beaten there.
TSG are pushing for a second, but instead Augsburg equalise. A cross is whipped towards the back post from the left flank. Caligirui wins the aerial battle with Sessegnon and levels the scores.
What a brilliant goal by Grillitsch. Bebou heads the ball into the midfielder's path, and he lifts it over an opponent before guiding it into the bottom left corner with a curling left-footed shot.
A textbook TSG counter-attack. Kramarić plays a first-time pass into the path of Bebou, who surges into the middle of the penalty area and then scores with a left-footed effort into the bottom corner. Gikiewicz didn't have a chance.
Grillitsch loses the ball inside his own half. It is played towards Richter at the back post but he doesn't connect properly. The deficit was almost halved there.
Match facts and statistics »
