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TSG make perfect start with 4-0 win in Augsburg
Personnel & tactics:
Head coach Sebastian Hoeness made four changes to the starting XI that won 3-2 away to Viktoria Cologne in the opening round of the DFB-Pokal. Oliver Baumann returned between the sticks, while Kevin Akpoguma, Stefan Posch, Kevin Vogt and David Raum formed the back four. Sebastian Rudy replaced Dennis Geiger in midfield, where he played alongside Angelo Stiller. Having scored a goal in the cup, Munas Dabbur earned a spot in the starting XI and lined up alongside Christoph Baumgartner and Jacob Bruun Larsen in a three-man attacking midfield behind lone frontman Andrej Kramarić. The attacking players were deployed flexibly and frequently changed positions.
TSG made their first switch in the 52nd minute. Raum, who had picked up a caution, was replaced by Marco John in a like-for-like switch. Sargis Adamyan and Mijat Gaćinović replaced Bruun Larsen and Dabbur in a double substitution seven minutes later. The next double switch came after 73 minutes, with the injured Akpoguma and Baumgartner making way for Diadie Samassékou and Georginio Rutter. Gaćinović then moved to right-back.
Moment of the match:
Hoffenheim's second goal: Marco John initiated the move by back-flicking the ball towards Sargis Adamyan, who squared it to Andrej Kramarić. The return pass from the forward put his Armenian team-mate clean through on the Augsburg goal and Adamyan took full advantage, coolly slotting home to make it 2-0 to TSG.
Number of the game: 3
Two substitutes scored for TSG in Augsburg. First Sargis Adamyan made it 2-0 from the bench, then his fellow sub Georginio Rutter added the third. Rutter also teed up the fourth goal for Sebastian Rudy beautifully. The subs therefore amassed three scorer points on Matchday 1 and made a big contribution to the first win of the season.
Line-ups:
FC Augsburg: Gikiewicz – Gumny, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Iago (Pedersen, 81) – Moravek (Maier, 58), Dorsch – Hahn (Caligiuri, 64), Jensen (Gregoritsch, 64), Vargas (Sarenren-Bazee, 81) – Niederlechner
TSG Hoffenheim: Baumann – Akpoguma (Samassékou, 73), Posch, Vogt, Raum (John, 52) – Rudy, Stiller – Baumgartner (Rutter, 73), Dabbur (Gaćinović, 59), Bruun Larsen (Adamyan, 59) – Kramarić
Goals: 0-1 Bruun Larsen (37), 0-2 Adamyan (79), 0-3 Rutter (87), 0-4 Rudy (90+5)
Match highlights
A big opportunity for Augsburg out of the blue: Vargas is threaded through in the box. Posch misses the ball and the winger shoots from a tight angle on the left. The Swiss aims for the far corner but fires just wide of the back post.
Now it's TSG's turn to threaten for the first time. After winning back possession on the edge of the box, the ball somehow falls to Kramarić – but the Croat's shot is blocked at the last moment.
Another chance follows immediately: Akpoguma turns past an opponent in the box but his first attempt is blocked. He then has the vision to square it to Kramarić, whose strike is on target but is palmed over the crossbar by Gikiewicz.
TSG get their reward for a spell of sustained pressure: Bruun Larsen is unmarked at the back post and nods a Kramarić cross down into the bottom corner.
First chance of the second period: Raum goes through on the left after some nice link-up play and shoots from a tight angle, but Gikiewicz blocks it with his foot.
TSG almost double their lead on the counter-attack. Rudy is afforded too much space in behind and has a pop at goal from 18 metres out, however his shot flies narrowly wide of the right post.
That should've been 2-0. Rudy's shot is blocked and the ball lands at the feet of Kramarić, but the Croat is denied by Gikiewicz from point-blank range.
Lovely link-up play! Over on the touchline, John back-flicks the ball into the path of Adamyan. The Armenian plays a square-ball towards our record goal-scorer Kramarić, who tracks his team-mate's run and completes the one-two. Adamyan keeps his cool in front of goal and it's 2-0!
Kramarić completes an assist hat-trick to set up the third: the Croat plays a perfect through-ball to Rutter, who touches it past Gikiewicz and taps into the empty net. What a game!
The visitors cap off the victory in stoppage time when Kramarić feeds Rutter, who dances past an opponent and picks out Rudy in the box. The midfielder is left with a simple tap in to an empty net from two metres out.
Match facts and statistics »
