A first-half goal from Serhou Guirassy gave Borussia Dortmund a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Augsburg on Friday, providing a timely confidence boost ahead of next week’s Champions League trip to Manchester City.
The win lifted Dortmund to second in the Bundesliga, four points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who host Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Dortmund were solid if unspectacular against a struggling Augsburg side with just one win in their previous eight league matches. The decisive moment came eight minutes before half-time when Chrislain Matsima’s clearance struck teammate Han-Noah Massengo, deflecting perfectly into Guirassy’s path.
The Guinean striker controlled calmly before firing past goalkeeper Finn Dahmen for his first Bundesliga goal since mid-September.
“We played 120 minutes on Tuesday in Frankfurt — everyone was already at their limit,” Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel told Sky Germany. “These types of games are really tough — short turnaround, travel, fatigue — but we stayed solid, kept a clean sheet, and got the win.”
Kick-off was briefly delayed as Dortmund supporters threw tennis balls onto the pitch in protest of the late Friday night start, calling for Bundesliga matches to return to traditional Saturday afternoon kick-offs.
Following Tuesday’s German Cup victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, which went to extra time and penalties, coach Niko Kovac rotated heavily, making six changes and resting several regulars, including captain Nico Schlotterbeck, who was left out due to a mild cold.
The defeat deepened the troubles of Augsburg boss Sandro Wagner, with his side eliminated from the German Cup by second-tier Bochum in midweek and now sitting just three points above the relegation zone after losing six of nine league games.
Dortmund and Manchester City head into Wednesday’s Champions League clash level on seven points after three group-stage matches.
