Max strike puts brakes on Freiburg

Augsburg 1-1 Freiburg
Goals: 1-0 Max (38'), 1-1 Haberer (51')

Freiburg entered the WWK Arena needing points to boost their European qualifying hopes, but had never won there in seven previous visits, and try as they might before the interval, they struggled to suggest they would change that. A Vincenzo Grifo free-kick was pushed out by Tomas Koubek, and Lucas Höler headed a good chance wide as Christian Streich's men toiled in the final third. Augsburg rarely got into that area at the opposite end of the pitch, but when they did, they produced: Marco Richter struck a post with a low shot before Max polished off a chance the generous Freiburg defence gave him to earn the hosts a half-time lead.

The hosts proved just as welcoming when they failed to clear a Jonathan Schmid free-kick that had been parried by Koubek and Janik Haberer equalised from the edge of the box early in the second half. The Freiburg man might not have had his second league goal of the season, however, but for a massive deflection off Raphael Framberger that completely wrong-footed Koubek. Haberer then first-timed a shot gut-wrenchingly wide and Christian Günter saw Koubek tip a low drive wide of the target as Freiburg pressed - in vain - for a winner. As in the first half, Freiburg might have succumbed to a sucker punch, but Richter fired just wide  in the tense closing stages.

• Max's goal was his seventh this season in just 20 league appearances. That's as many as he had scored in the whole of his Bundesliga career before 2019/20.
• Iago registered his first Bundesliga assist with the cross for Max's strike.
• Freiburg have seen opponents hit the woodwork 13 times this season, more than any other club.
• Augsburg have won four of their last six home games, and have never lost at home to Freiburg in eight top-flight meetings. They have only faced Borussia Mönchengladbach as many times without defeat on home soil (eight)
• Despite never winning in Augsburg, Freiburg’s record against Die Fuggerstädter is their best against a Bundesliga opponent (W6, D6, L4). They have also lost just one of the last nine encounters.

Augsburg: Koubek - Lichtsteiner (Framberger 32'), Gouweleeuw, Jedvaj, Iago - Richter, Khedira, Baier (c), Max (Vargas 66') - Finnbogason (Löwen 80'), Niederlechner
Unused subs: Luthe, Suchy, Sarenren, Udokhai, Gruezo, Hahn
Out: Giefer (foot), Moravek (ill), Schieber (calf), Cordova (ankle)
Coach: Martin Schmidt

Freiburg: Schwolow - Schmid, Gulde, Koch, Günter (c) - Grifo (Kwon 86'), Haberer (Petersen 84'), Abrashi, Höfler - Waldschmidt, Höler
Unused subs: Flekken, Lienhart, Schlotterbeck, Frantz, Borrello, Sallai, Heintz
Out: Kübler (knee)
Coach: Christian Streich