Despite Augsburg winning their previous two home matches, they were still looking nervously over their shoulders towards the drop zone, while Hoffenheim were even more anxious considering their perilous position in the Bundesliga table.
Die Fuggerstädter were searching for early momentum, and they got it through Arne Engels’ shot, however, his delight was quickly turned sour as VAR intervened to rule out the goal for handball.
Die Kraichgauer were heavily reliant on the counter-attack, especially through the impressive Christophe Baumgartner, who was a constant menace to the Augsburg defence in the first period. However, his driving runs were the highlight of a dismal opening half.
The opening stages of the second half were again interrupted by VAR as Ermedin Demirović’s bundled goal was ruled out as Kelvin Yeboah fouled in the build-up.
The hosts had lost their last three fixtures against Hoffenheim and were determined to end that run, having only beaten them once at the WWK Arena since 2015, but the scrappy nature of this game continued with an abundance of yellow cards and stoppages for niggly fouls.
Hoffenheim manager Pellegrino Matarazzo brought on top scorer Andrej Kramarić and 17-year-old Tom Bischof to bolster the attack and try to grab a winning goal, yet it was Augsburg who continued to try their luck.
Kramarić almost broke the deadlock for the visitors late on, but his stabbed shot was saved brilliantly by Rafaƚ Gikiewicz. And what a vital save that proved to be, as Augsburg took the lead in the 88th minute, when captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw flicked on a corner at the near-post with Jensen tapping in to grab a vital win and ease his side’s relegation nerves.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jeffrey Gouweleeuw (FC Augsburg)
