Bayern Munich 1-1 Augsburg: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Felix Gotze's Late Goal Earns Visitors Tie
Felix Gotze's late equaliser stunned Bayern Munich as Augsburg secured a point in the Bavarian derby on Tuesday night.
Entertainment on the pitch started early with the opening 15 minutes seeing quite a bit of action. Caiuby could have played a simple pass across for Andre Hahn to slot in, but the Brazilian chose to shoot from a stupidly tight angle.
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Soon after Bayern hit the post, as Serge Gnabry's cross deflected off Rani's Khedira thigh. Renato Sanches then motored through midfield only to slash a shot wide.
Midway through the first half a terrible mistake from Augsburg gifted Sandro Wagner a one-on-one with Andreas Lufte. The goalkeeper made himself big and kept the ball away from goal, but there is no doubt that Robert Lewandowksi would have scored.
The start of the second half saw Augsburg denied a penalty after the ball bounced up onto Mats Hummels' hand. Then, just moments later, Gnabry ran the pitch and found Arjen Robben, who shifted the ball on to his left foot and smashed high into the roof of the net.
A marginally offside goal from Franck Ribery was sandwiched by speculative David Alaba efforts as Bayern went about closing out this game in a pragmatic manner. However, they soon regretted their decision.
A mistake from Manuel Neuer saw Die Mannschaft's goalkeeper fail to claim a cross, and the ball fumbled out to centre back Martin Hinteregger. Smashing across goal, former Bayern youth product Felix Gotze - younger brother of Mario - chested in from close range to secure his side a point.
BAYERN MUNICH
Key Talking Point
The Bundesliga fan protest.
It was an extremely bizarre first 20 minutes in the Allianz Arena as a league wide protest over Monday night football killed an early atmosphere.
Highlighting the 'football without fans movement', all supporters inside the ground cut a remarkably reserved disposition. A weird one for the start of Oktoberfest, it was clear that Munich fans wanted to get the party started for their team.
It could be suggested that such composure is a microcosm of German culture, as the unit comes before the individual. Fighting for the rights of all teams, Bayern supporters stayed true to their promise. The second the clock hit twenty minutes however, an explosion of noise pulsated out from the Munich ultras.
Player Ratings
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Neuer (5); Kimmich (8), Hummels (7), Sule (7), Goretzka (4); Martinez (6), Sanches (8*); Gnabry (8), Muller (6), Robben (6), Sandro (4).
Substitutes: Alaba (6), Ribery (7), Thiago (5).
STAR MAN - Renato Sanches
At the centre of all that was good for Bayern, the young Portugal international was a true driving force. The Munich midfielder had no hesitation in fizzing shots towards goal from left and right.
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A far cry from the player Premier League fans saw at Swansea, Sanches looks like a new man under Niko Kovac's guidance. Gnabry was also impressive, as the former Arsenal starlet gave Munich a direct dynamic that kept the Augsburg defence guessing.
Worst Player - Leon Goretzka
Expected to play centrally, it was actually Goretzka who started in defence and not Gnabry. Struggling to understand the depth of line was an obvious problem as the young German looked lost for the majority of his stint.
It's fair to say Kovac's experiment didn't work as he chose to stick David Alaba on at half time. Completing only 36% of his tackles in the opening 45 minutes, the conclusion can only be that Munich's number 18 is most definitely not a left back.
AUGSBURG
Player Ratings
Starting XI (3-4-3): Luthe (8); Gouweleeuw (7), Khedira (6), Hinteregger (7); Framberger (7), Moravek (4), Baier (6), Max (6); Hahn (6), Gregoritsch (5), Caiuby (5).
Substitutes:Gotze (8*), Cordova (5),
STAR MAN - Felix Gotze
The former Bayern man came back to haunt his old side with a late goal. Whether or not his chested finish was more good luck than good judgement, he was in the right place at the right time.
Gotze surprisingly made a few foraying runs forward that tested Javi Martinez's fatiguing legs. Usually a centre back, the second half substitute played a top class game in midfield.
Worst Player - Jan Moravek
The Czech was a non factor all game, and Manuel Baum decided to replace him with Gotze early on in the second half.
While it was expected that Augsburg would have make the short trip to Munich and defend, the names of Raphael Framberger and Daniel Baier were heard far more often than their teammate.
Looking Ahead
Niko Kovac's side have now kicked off Oktoberfest with a disappointing draw and Die Roten will be frustrated with the result after dominating for large periods. They play Hertha Berlin on Friday next.
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Augsburg's determination paid dividends late on as their never say die attitude found reward. After a great result at the Allianz Arena, confidence should be high for the clash with Freiburg on Sunday.
