Serhou Guirassy (center) scored the decisive goal. © ANSA / ANNA SZILAGYI

Dortmund narrowly escapes victory in Augsburg

An Augsburg goal gift enabled Borussia Dortmund to jump to second place in the Bundesliga – and completed Sandro Wagner's three-defeat week with FCA.

31 October 2025

From: dpa

In Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 (1-0) victory to kick off Matchday 9, striker Serhou Guirassy ended his weeks-long goal drought in the 37th minute with his fifth goal of the season. Dortmund coach Niko Kovac was able to put a successful week of two league wins and one DFB Cup victory under his belt ahead of their Champions League match against Manchester City, featuring former Dortmund player Erling Haaland. Even if the win in Augsburg was a hard-fought one.

And Wagner? After the 0-6 defeat against RB Leipzig and the embarrassing cup exit against second-division side VfL Bochum (0-1), he once again failed to celebrate a point or even a goal. But at least his team didn't succumb again; instead, they fought back and even pushed for the equalizer after the break.

Defensive mishap

The decisive moment just before halftime was truly frustrating for the home side in front of 30.660 spectators. Chrislain Matsima attempted to clear a high ball from BVB defender Waldemar Anton with his head. However, the Augsburg defender's header struck teammate Han-Boah Massengo. The ball then rebounded off Massengo's body to Guirassy, ​​who gratefully accepted the gift. Augsburg goalkeeper Finn Dahmen was unable to stop the striker's shot.

Guirassy capitalized on the gift. © APA/afp / ALEXANDRA BEIER

Despite Augsburg's poor performance, Wagner doesn't have to worry about his first head coaching job in the Bundesliga. The 37-year-old continues to enjoy the confidence of the Augsburg bosses. Fans, however, sharply criticized the attempt at restructuring with Wagner at the helm, displaying banners that read: "Big words, no action." They added that "cult of personality" and "marketing madness" were not their values.

Nevertheless, the Augsburg fans supported their team. "We want to be aggressive, get the stadium behind us," Wagner had announced to Sky before kickoff. And that was his team. The former international, like Kovac, who was once his coach at Bayern Munich, rotated his squad heavily during the cup week. Wagner also proved that he is "not stubborn." Instead of attacking high and risky, Augsburg defended deeper and more compactly as a unit.

Dortmund without the ill Nico Schlotterbeck

"When you lose, there's also pressure," Wagner acknowledged. Kovac, however, is currently experiencing only positive pressure at BVB. Three days after the hard-fought DFB Cup match against Eintracht Frankfurt, he had to do without his most important defender at short notice: Nico Schlotterbeck was laid up with a cold on match day, as his coach reported.

A Schlotterbeck was still on the pitch, however, as Keven Schlotterbeck, Nico's older brother, was once again allowed to play in defense for FCA. The league's worst defense (21 goals conceded) held firm for a long time. This was partly due to Dortmund's lack of attacking impetus. The game was largely played between the penalty areas, with little pace or flair. Apart from Dortmund's opening goal, there were no scoring opportunities before halftime.

Augsburg put up a brave fight. © APA/afp / ALEXANDRA BEIER

At the start of the second half, the traveling Dortmund fans set off pyrotechnics. Some flares even landed on the pitch near the players. Fortunately, the dangerous stunt ended well and was quickly over. Almost all the action now took place in Dortmund's half. Wagner's team pressed forward, trying hard – the BVB defense, including German international Anton, was shaky.