TSG Hoffenheim is still in free fall in the Bundesliga, even under new coach Pellegrino Matarazzo. The ailing club had to admit defeat late at table neighbors FC Augsburg 0-1 (0-0) and also lost the second game since taking over from Matarazzo. While Augsburg gained some breathing room in the relegation battle thanks to a goal by Fredrik Jensen (88th), TSG could slip into a relegation zone later in the day.
Hoffenheim have been waiting for a win for twelve competitive games, and TSG have only scored two points from eleven league games. “It feels very, very bad. There was a lot of fighting, and then the late goal came,” said Hoffenheim’s professional Thomas Delaney on the Dazn broadcaster: “I have great faith in our path, we can do it – but we have to get it done quickly .”
Hoffenheim’s Andrej Kramaric fails in the final phase
Matarazzo made four changes to his starting XI compared to his botched debut against Leverkusen (1-3). “It’s about staying up. The boys who are ready for it will be on the pitch,” Matarazzo had emphasized in advance. The players did not initially repay the trust placed in them by their coach, the Augsburgers clearly dominated the initial phase. Hoffenheim hardly showed up in the generic half, after winning the ball themselves, any offensive efforts by TSG were stifled by Augsburg’s aggressive counter-pressing.
In an uneventful first half, however, there were not enough chances to score on either side. Even after the restart, Augsburg got off to a better start. This time it wasn’t even two minutes before Ermedin Demirovic scored in the goal of TSG keeper Oliver Baumann. However, Ittrich corrected his decision due to an alleged foul play, amid fierce complaints from the FCA players. In a chaotic game, Augsburg, with their intense style of play, remained the somewhat more active team. In the closing stages, Hoffenheim’s Andrej Kramaric (82′) was denied by Rafal Gikiewicz, who reacted strongly in the Augsburg goal, while Jensen scored from a corner on the other side.