By Safiu Kehinde
Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich have suffered another shocking defeat by Augsburg at the WWK Arena.
The Bavarians were without midfielder, Joshua Kimmich who was under self-isolation after physical contact with a Covid-19 infected person.
At Augsburg hazy Arena, the host were quick to take the lead through Mad Pedersen first Bundesliga goal. Augsburg midfielder, Iago raced the ball along the left flank. The Brazilian midfielder launched a cross to Andi Zeqiri and the Swiss striker, in return, laced the ball to Pedersen who neatly slotted it past Bayern goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer in the 23rd minute.
The struggle continues for Bayern as another Augsburg goal threw them in disarray. This time, a sloppy loss of possession by Kimmich’s replacement, Marcel Sabitzer, and Iago, once again, launched a cross into Bayern’s box which met Andre Hahn. The Augsburg’s second striker headed the ball in, which left Bayern trailing 2 goals down within 36 minutes.
However, the 2 goals deficit only lasted two minutes as Thomas Muller laid an assist for the Bavarians’ only goal of the match in the 38th minute. The German, who made his 600th appearance for Bayern Munich, flicked the ball into the legs of Bayern’s goal machine, Robert Lewandowski. As expected, the Polish striker did not disappoint as he drilled the shot into the net.
The second half saw Bayern hungry for goals as they charged towards their host. Augsburg sensed the danger after Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann brought in the Canadian right-back and speedster, Alphonso Davies. The ‘Bayern Roadrunner’ caused trouble for Augsburg as he sprinted towards the opponent’s goal mouth, creating to clear chances for Bayern but the chances were not capitalized.
With twenty minutes towards the end of the game, Nagelsmann doubled his attacking threat in search for an equalizer as he brought on another striker, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting who partnered with Lewandowski upfront.
This, however, did not tear the determined Augsburg apart. The host soaked in the pressure despite Bayern’s dominant display. The final whistle saw the Bavarians succumb to a second league defeat while Augsburg climbed a step away from the relegation zone.
