Augsburg denied historic third straight win by Schick’s late equaliser
Patrik Schick scored late as Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to draw 2-2 with Augsburg at the WWK Arena, denying the home side a third consecutive win at the start of a Bundesliga season for the first time in club history.
The point moved Leverkusen up to sixth, while Augsburg extended their unbeaten home run to five matches. Augsburg had looked second best for much of the first half, but two quick goals from Michael Gregoritsch after the break completely changed the game.
Match highlight
Leverkusen began on the front foot. Moussa Diaby, Ezequiel Fernandez and Ibrahim Maza all tested Augsburg in the opening 15 minutes, with the visitors moving the ball quickly and finding room around the edge of the box.
Their pressure brought the opening goal. Edmond Tapsoba sent a long pass forward for Christian Kofane, who controlled the ball and finished past Finn Dahmen. It was an unhappy moment for Dahmen on his 100th Bundesliga appearance for Augsburg.
Augsburg struggled to respond. Apart from an early effort from Arijon Ibrahimovic, they spent most of the first half under pressure. Leverkusen had eight shots before the break, while the home crowd had little to shout about.
Noahkai Banks was one of Augsburg’s brighter players in the first 45 minutes, though he picked up a yellow card shortly before the interval. Leverkusen continued to dictate the match after the restart, with Aleix Garcia asking questions of the Augsburg defence.
Then Augsburg found a route back into the game.
Mark Flekken hesitated as a loose ball arrived in the penalty area, allowing Gregoritsch to get there first and force it over the line. The goal gave Augsburg belief, and they were ahead only two minutes later. Gregoritsch was left unmarked from a corner and headed home his second.
Leverkusen thought they had made it 2-2 just before the hour, but VAR ruled the goal out for a foul in the build-up. The visitors kept pushing, however, and their pressure finally paid off late on.
Schick came on from the bench and found the equaliser in the closing minutes of normal time. It was the Czech forward’s third goal in three consecutive matches, and it gave Leverkusen a point their overall performance deserved.
Augsburg will feel they let a rare opportunity slip after turning the game around so quickly. Leverkusen, though, showed why they have remained unbeaten in September since 2022, with 10 wins and five draws during that run.
