Borussia Dortmund faced another setback in their Bundesliga title quest on Saturday, suffering a 2-1 loss to Augsburg.
After a disappointing 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League earlier in the week, Dortmund aimed for a strong recovery and started brightly. Donyell Malen opened the scoring with a composed finish inside the penalty area, skillfully evading the Augsburg defense after a well-executed give-and-go with Serhou Guirassy, who has been in remarkable form, contributing to 10 goals in nine matches across all competitions this season.
Despite dominating the initial phases, Dortmund’s vulnerabilities emerged once more as they struggled to maintain composure when playing out from the back. Augsburg seized the opportunity midway through the first half when Alexis Claude-Maurice intercepted a loose ball and fired a low strike from 25 yards past goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
Dortmund came close to retaking the lead before halftime, but Augsburg’s goalkeeper, Nediljko Labrovic, denied Marcel Sabitzer’s long-range effort with a solid save.
The home side capitalized on Dortmund’s defensive lapses shortly after the break. A poor clearance from Emre Can fell directly to Claude-Maurice, who curled a precise shot into the far corner, putting Augsburg ahead. Marius Wolf then missed a crucial opportunity to extend Augsburg’s lead when he fired over from a tight angle.
Dortmund increased their intensity in the closing moments, but their day was epitomized when 18-year-old debutant Almugera Kabar received a second yellow card deep into injury time.
With this defeat, Dortmund remains winless on the road in the Bundesliga this season, accumulating only 13 points from their first eight matches. The loss dropped them to eighth in the league standings, leaving them seven points adrift of leaders RB Leipzig, while Augsburg rose to 11th place, marking their first victory over Dortmund in four years.
SOURCE: BBC
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