Hoffenheim earned a 2-2 draw at FC Augsburg after recovering from a disastrous two-goal deficit inside the opening quarter of an hour. The visitors found themselves 2-0 down after just 13 minutes following quickfire goals from Alexis Claude-Maurice and Michael Gregoritsch. The guests showed a reaction and fought back to level before halftime.
Robin Hranac headed in from a corner in the 35th minute to make it 2-1, and Bazoumana Touré equalised from a tight angle just before the break. Goalkeeper Oliver Baumann made several key saves to keep Hoffenheim in the game, including a spectacular stop from an Arne Maier free-kick. At the other end, Augsburg's Claude-Maurice missed a late penalty awarded by referee Tobias Reichel for a foul by Bernardo on Ermedin Demirovic, skying his effort over the bar. "The recent disappointments naturally had an effect on the mind," head coach Christian Ilzer admitted before the match. "But now we have to deal with that properly." Ilzer made three changes to the starting lineup after two defeats, including the return of Stanley Nsoki to central defence.
Context and outlook
The draw extends Hoffenheim's winless run in the Bundesliga to six matches, leaving them 14th in the current standings with just three points from four games. Their form over the last five fixtures reads one win and four defeats, including a 3-1 loss at SC Paderborn last time out. Defensive issues persisted, but the spirit shown after the early setback provided a glimmer of hope. The point does not allow Hoffenheim to close the gap on the European places, making the pursuit increasingly difficult.
Next up is a home match against Hamburger SV, who currently sit 16th, this Saturday at the PreZero Arena. Christian Ilzer's side now needs to find a turnaround against HSV to climb away from the lower half of the table.
This story first appeared at n-tv.de
