Bayern Munich vs. FC Augsburg: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga Game
Bayern Munich overcame an early deficit to beat Augsburg 2-1 at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, maintaining their perfect record in the Bundesliga as they made it four wins from as many games to start the 2015-16 season.
It was the second time that the German champions came from behind to snatch a late victory, following their recent success against Hoffenheim. Robert Lewandowski cancelled Alexander Esswein's opener with 13 minutes left to play, and Thomas Muller scored from the penalty spot at the death to grab three points for the hosts.
Click "Begin Slideshow" to see B/R's picks of winners and losers from Saturday's action.
Winners: Refugees
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Bayern took to the pitch on Saturday accompanied by mascots as usual, but along with each local native came a Syrian refugee. It was a move the club said, via Ciaran Fahey of the Associated Press (h/t ABC), was aimed to be “a symbol for the integration of refugees” into German society.
Bayern have stepped up to provide considerable humanitarian aid as asylum-seekers have poured into Germany, the club having announced (via Toronto Star) that they would donate €1 million to refugee projects.
Winner: Alexander Esswein
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One of the reasons why Bayern played so aggressively from early on is that, apparently, Pep Guardiola didn’t expect much from the Augsburg attack. The visitors had little trouble finding Raul Bobadilla, but for all his efforts, the striker was often isolated and was dispossessed rather easily. There just wasn’t an end product or even the means to set up a good attempt on goal.
Bayern proved to be a bit too confident, though, and Augsburg eventually took their chance through Esswein. The former Germany under-21 international lunged at a cross to fire home the opener, leaving Manuel Neuer with no chance to make a save. It was a tricky shot, but his execution was superb. He'll be very disappointed not to have earned at least a point for his side.
Winner: Marwin Hitz
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Martin Hitz had one of the best games of his career on Saturday, and without his excellence, Augsburg may not have stood a chance. The goalkeeper did extremely well to deny Thiago as the Spaniard headed on goal with the score still 0-0, then made a great save when Robert Lewandowski slipped into a one-on-one situation.
Like Esswein, Hitz will be extremely disappointed not to have earned a better result. Yet he can't be faulted for either of Bayern's goals. Penalties are a lottery, and before Lewandowski's equalizer, he did well to deny Thomas Muller.
Winner: Robert Lewandowski
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Robert Lewandowski’s first Bundesliga hat trick came against Augsburg, and in eight matches against the Bavarians prior to Saturday’s game, he’d scored as many goals. He extended that run to nine in nine games on Saturday, scoring a vital equalizer as it was starting to look as though it just wasn’t Bayern’s day. With a characteristic combination of power, skill and tenacity, he drove through the Augsburg defense before tapping home a rebound.
His effort on Saturday wasn’t the first time Lewandowski scored a key goal for Bayern this season, another coming late against Hoffenheim as he snatched three points for 10-man Bayern.
Loser: Knut Kircher
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Some Bayern fans may claim it was a clear penalty when Douglas Costa collided with Markus Feulner in the Augsburg penalty area shortly before full-time. Many other supporters and neutrals alike will claim that Knut Kircher got the call wrong.
Simply put, Costa kicked the ball out of play and took a powerful stride into Feulner from about half a meter. The defender was adjudged to have impeded the attacker's forward progress, although slow-motion replay failed to reveal any movement from the Augsburg player to obstruct Costa's run. Former Bundesliga referee Peter Gagelmann opined on Sky TV after the game that a penalty was unwarranted, and even Kircher himself admitted (via Sky, h/t Bild, in German) that he had got the call wrong.
Bayern were victims of harsh refereeing and still won their recent match against Hoffenheim. Against Augsburg, they were lucky and snatched a victory to maintain their perfect record. Kircher, however, left the pitch on Saturday with his record anything but intact.
