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Bayern Munich made incredibly hard work of it, but they they were able to grind out a 1-0 win over FC Augsburg thanks to an 82nd minute penalty conversion from Robert Lewandowski after Reece Oxford was ruled to have handled the ball in the box.
On the overall balance, Augsburg was quite level in nearly every department with Bayern until late in the second half, after Lewandowski’s penalty forced them to take more risks in search of an equalizer. Prior to Bayern’s stroke of luck with the penalty, it looked as if it was going to be one of those afternoon’s where Bayern just wouldn’t be able to find their way over the line, which is credit to Markus Weinzierl and his well-disciplined Augsburg side, who had played just a few days prior, beating Mainz 2-1 at home.
Speaking after the match, Niklas Dorsch, who was one of the best performers from either side on the afternoon, said that he felt Augsburg was rather unlucky to have come out of the Allianz Arena empty handed. “In my opinion, if you look at the course of the game, we were very grippy and missed huge chances that we have to take advantage of. We could tell they had Wednesday’s game (1-0 loss to Villarreal) in their bones. It’s a bit bitter to get the penalty so late because Bayern didn’t have many chances,” the former Bayern player explained (tz).
Weinzierl felt equally as hard done for his side not have come away from the match with anything after battling so hard. Sometimes, matches are just decided by a stroke of luck and he felt that they way his side was playing for 90% of the match made the late penalty decision all the more difficult to swallow despite it being the correct call after VAR intervened. “The penalty is unfortunate. That the hand was on the ball and that the ball is on its way to the goal. It’s so bitter against Bayern, especially when you’ve done so much and get the goal so late. But it’s a penalty, he got the signal from the outside to watch the scene,” he stressed.
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For Bayern the result restores the 9-point gap at the top of the table over Borussia Dortmund and gives them positive momentum heading into the crucial second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Villarreal. For Augsburg, it’s one small step backwards in the relegation battle after taking a step forward with their midweek win over Mainz at home.
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