FC Augsburg 1-3 Bayern Munich: Initial Observations and Reactions

Fulltime Observations

• WHY DOESN’T BAYERN SEND IN MORE CROSSES!?!?!? Two goals tonight came from pinpoint crosses. Dominating possession has its merits but at some point the ball needs to get into the box. Crosses are notoriously difficult to cover because defenders have to mark on the move while also judging the trajectory of the cross itself.
• Bayern caught a lucky break with Cedric Zesiger’s second yellow card of the night. It was a sloppy, unnecessary challenge. Adding insult to injury, Harry Kane still scored off the ensuing free kick.
• Tonight was a perfect opportunity to play some of the rotational players but the ineptitude of certain players (cough, Leroy Sané) kept them on the bench. At least Thomas Müller got 35 minutes, albeit at the expense of Jamal Musiala.
• Vincent Kompany is now without the services of half the starting lineup: Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, Dayot Upamecano, Manuel Neuer, and Leon Goretzka. Throw in substitutes Hiroki Itō, Kingsley Coman, and Aleksandar Pavlović. Bayern still went on the road and beat the hottest team in the Bundesliga, ending Augsburg’s 11-game undefeated streak.

FT: Bayern wins!

90’+4: Substitutions. Raphaël Guerreiro and Gabriel Vidović replace Leroy Sané and Harry Kane.

90’+3: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 3-1. Leroy Sané’s deflected shot beats the keeper. Chrislain Matsima was officially credited with an own goal.

84’: Yellow card. Jeffrey Gouweleeuw is booked for argument.

81’: Substitutions. Mergim Berisha and Mert Kömür replace Marius Wolf and Frank Oneyeka.

74’: Substitution. Phillip Tietz replaces Samuel Essende.

67’: Substitution. Serge Gnabry replaces Michael Olise.

61’: Substitutions. Elvis Rexhbeçaj and Keven Schlotterbeck replace Alexis Claude-Maurice and Fredrik Jensen.

60’: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 2-1. Michael Olise’s cross finds Harry Kane all by himself behind the Augsburg defense. Confirmed by VAR.

59’: Red card! Cedric Zesiger is booked with a second yellow card for a clumsy sliding challenge from behind on Harry Kane.

54’: Substitution. Thomas Müller replaces Jamal Musiala. Musiala heads straight to the locker room for medical aid.

52’: Michael Olise’s volley clanks off the crossbar.

46’: No changes made for either side.

Halftime Observations

• Too many opportunities, like Leroy Sané’s shot in the 19th minute, end up missing the target altogether. Put perfectly by GoTigers716, “Sane is just holding down the circle button and turning the left stick the wrong direction.”
• João Palhinha looks lighter on his feet, playing with a little more bounce in his step. Is it conceivable that this is the first time he has been in peak physical condition since he joined Bayern?
• It is slowly becoming clearer why Jonas Urbig is the first potential replacement that Manuel Neuer publicly endorsed. Urbig is very cheeky with the ball at his feet, displaying a soft touch on some looping passes to the midfielders.
• It was a pretty ugly half from both sides. After conceding the first goal, Vincent Kompany should consider himself lucky that Jamal Musiala was able to finish his opportunity against the stingy Augsburg defense.

HT: Bayern tied 1-1.

45’+1: Yellow card. Alexis Claude-Maurice is booked for a foul on Jamal Musiala.

42’: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern tied 1-1. Leroy Sané finds Jamal Musiala in the middle of the box. Musiala’s quick dribbling creates enough space to put it away.

32’: Yellow card. Cedric Zesiger is booked for a foul.

30’: Goal, Augsburg. Bayern down 1-0. Konrad Laimer is caught napping by Dimitrios Giannoulis.

29’: Michael Olise’s free kick beats the wall but falls too comfortably to Finn Dahmen.

19’: Jamal Musiala puts a beautiful through ball behind the defense. Leroy Sané slams it into the side netting.

10’: Michael Olise weaves through defenders and his cross nearly finds Josip Stanišić but Finn Dahmen read the play perfectly.

1’: LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO!!!

After a short international break that proved catastrophic on the injury front, Bayern Munich returned to the Bundesliga to hang on late in a 3-2 win over St. Pauli. Bayern needs five wins out the final seven matches to reclaim the Bundesliga title but will have to manage the feat without a number of high profile players.

In the Hinrunde, Bayern defeated Augsburg 3-0 behind a Harry Kane hat trick. The first two goals were penalty kicks and the last two goals were scored in stoppage time after a Keven Schlotterbeck red card.

Bayern is currently in first place of the Bundesliga, six points clear of Leverkusen. Augsburg is in eighth place, chasing a coveted spot in European competition next season. Augsburg is on a 11-game undefeated streak in the Bundesliga, only allowing three goals during the impressive stretch.

Odds: Bayern (-220), Draw (+350), Augsburg (+600)

Prediction: Bayern wins 1-0. After zero shots on goal in the entire first half, Bayern brings on Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané to electrify the attack. After a corner kick takes a few deflections, Müller cleans it up with an awkward deflection off his knee. Müller celebrates by kissing the Bayern crest and uses Sané’s back to simulate the signing of a one-year extension. Dreams really can come true.

It’s Bayern time.

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Match Info

Location: WWK Arena, Augsburg, Germany

Date: Friday, April 4th, 2025

Time: 8:30pm local time, 2:30pm EST

TV/streaming: ESPN+, Find Your Country

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