Bundesliga
Serhou Guirassy scored his first Bundesliga goal in over a month as Borussia Dortmund kept the pressure on leaders Bayern Munich with victory at struggling Augsburg.
Augsburg 0-1 Borussia DortmundGoals: 0-1 Guirassy 37’
Two sides with contrasting fortunes headed into Friday's encounter at the WWK Arena. While Niko Kovač's Dortmund arrived fresh off a midweek DFB Cup victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties, Augsburg were still reeling from consecutive defeats – a 6-0 thrashing by RB Leipzig in the league and a cup exit to second-tier Bochum. Despite their current struggles, Augsburg won their two meetings with BVB last season, adding an intriguing subplot to this Friday night fixture.
Both sides struggled to create clear chances during a cagey first half. Mert Kömür registered the first attempt in the 20th minute, firing wide for the hosts after good work from Dimitrios Giannoulis. Meanwhile, Dortmund's first sight of goal came in the 35th minute when Maximilian Beier headed over from a Pascal Groß delivery.
The breakthrough, and ultimately the winner, arrived shortly after. Chrislain Matsima's attempted clearance ricocheted off his teammate Han-Noah Massengo, allowing Serhou Guirassy to race through on goal and coolly slot past Finn Dahmen.
The second half saw a more determined Augsburg emerge, although Julian Brandt and Carney Chukwuemeka were able to try their luck from distance for Dortmund but couldn't find the target.
Both coaches made use of their benches around the hour mark, with Jobe Bellingham making a particularly important contribution for the visitors as he produced a crucial last-ditch tackle on Elvis Rexhbecaj in the 72nd minute, just as the Augsburg midfielder was preparing to shoot from a promising position.
Nevertheless, Augsburg struggled to create clear opportunities. Their best chance came in stoppage time when Noahkai Banks forced Gregor Kobel into a comfortable save, but it was too little, too late for the hosts.
Man of the Match: Serhou Guirassy
Guirassy was the clear difference-maker in a tight contest, taking his one clear opportunity with the clinical finishing that has become his trademark.
The Dortmund forward's awareness to capitalise on Augsburg's defensive error showed his predatory instincts, while his composed finish past Dahmen was executed with minimal fuss despite the pressure of the moment.
Beyond his goal, he was constantly challenging the Augsburg defence and managed this despite being placed under pressure 23 times during the match – more than any other Dortmund player.
Receiving 62% of the votes for Man of the Match, Guirassy's contribution was further reflected in his impressive 250 Fantasy points.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Augsburg 1.03 - Dortmund 0.47
Fastest player: Chrislain Matsima (Augsburg), 34.65 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 0-1 by Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund), 17 percent
Most pressed player: Alexis Claude-Maurice (Augsburg), 28 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Noahkai Banks (Augsburg), 2.3
Fantasy Heroes: Keven Schlotterbeck (Augsburg, 254 Points), Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund, 250 Points), Pascal Groß (Dortmund, 211 Points)