No winner, no loser, no clarity: After 90 very intense minutes of relegation battle in the Augsburg stadium, coaches Sebastian Hoeneß and Enrico Maaßen wrestled with the tricky scoring. In the end, after the 1-1 (1-0) between FC Augsburg and VfB Stuttgart, both opted for the positive aspects.
“The point is extremely important for us as a team, for morale and for the table. We were rewarded for a strong second half,” said Hoeneß, who is still undefeated after four competitive games (two wins, two draws), even if the 40- Year-olds stuck with VfB on the relegation place. Maassen said: “Our minimum goal was to keep Stuttgart at a distance.” This was achieved in the sixth game without a win in a row, in which the hosts failed to bring a lead to the finish line for the fifth time. Which annoyed Maassen and his players.
But FCA is five points ahead of Stuttgart and the relegation zone in the Bundesliga five rounds before the end. The nerve game continues, it comes to a head. “We have to be prepared for intensive weeks until the end. We accept that,” said Augsburg manager Stefan Reuter. The statement could also have come from Hoeneß.
Hoeneß wants to “refine” the point against Gladbach
The nephew of Bayern patron Uli Hoeneß tried to draw strength from the course of the evening. As in the spectacular 3:3 win against Borussia Dortmund the week before, the Stuttgarters managed a comeback in front of 30,660 spectators in the sold-out Augsburg Arena. Dion Beljo scored early for FCA. Hoeneß reacted with clever offensive changes at the break. And captain Wataru Endo somehow poked over the line in the 78th minute after oddly taking the ball between his knees.
VfB sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth spoke of a “work goal”. Hoeneß called the goal “symbolic of our second half, where we forced it.” And goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow stated: “In our situation, every point is a point won.” Hoeneß wants to “refine” that at home against Mönchengladbach next weekend.
Bruno Labbadia’s successor, who achieved a lot in Stuttgart in a short time, defended himself in the Augsburg press conference room against exaggerated claims that one point in Augsburg was not enough. He wasn’t “happy with the result” either – but was still “proud” of his team’s reaction in the second half. “We’re not in a position to say we’ll easily take three points here in Augsburg. The Augsburgers can make life really difficult. In the first half they were focused,” explained Hoeneß: “That we’re up to It was clear to have to fight to the end.”
In the long run, draws won’t be enough. But sports director Wohlgemuth saw something encouraging again. He praised the team’s “willpower” from behind: “And we have a certain consistency in results.” The Stuttgarters still have three home games and only two away games, including those at their direct competitor Hertha BSC. Hoeneß disappeared confidently into the Augsburg night after a “racy” fight: “We take with us the certainty that we can live and march.”
