Before the game, Hertha's Marco Richter was hugged by his former colleagues from Augsburg, but in the end the offensive player finally destroyed their dreams of their first home win this season.
With a late goal (90. 3) to make it 2-0 (0-0), the 24-year-old, who played his first 97 Bundesliga games for FCA, gave the Berliners their first success of the season in the Bundesliga. After Dodi Lukebakio (57th) took the lead, Richter finally got the entire Hertha bank raging. With the offensively weak Augsburgers, on the other hand, everything points to a trembling season.
Plattenhardt: "We are overjoyed"
"It was very, very emotionally easy," said Richter, who celebrated his first goal after surviving testicular cancer. "I just want to play football and have fun. Of course I'm physically missing one or the other percentage. But if I'm a joker every time and then score a goal, I don't mind," joked the most sought-after interview partner. Hertha captain Marvin Plattenhardt added to the streaming service DAZN: "We are overjoyed that we are taking the three points with us."
The emotional situation was different for the Augsburgers, whose performance was acknowledged by the supporters with a shriek of whistles. "I don't know that the fans put us down like that. It's definitely not that much fun right now," said Florian Niederlechner. Jeffrey Gouweleeuw also admitted: "I have not often seen such a reaction from the fans."
25,768 spectators watched the expected physical game with many interruptions from the start. Both teams found it extremely difficult to build up the game, heated duels in midfield determined the early phase with few chances. New signing Mergim Berisha and Demirovic, who should provide more force in the recently harmless offensive at FCA, were hardly staged.
The guests seemed a bit more controlled at first. In front of the goal, the capital club remained just as safe as their opponents. Referee Harm Osmers then caused a loud outcry in the Augsburg block: Demirovic would have been free in front of the Berlin box if Filip Uremovic hadn't knocked him down. A foul for Osmers, but not the Berlin defender's emergency brake, which should be punished with a red card.
Marco Richter scores to make it 2-0
The supposed wrong decision acted as a wake-up call for Augsburg's new loanee Berisha, who celebrated a successful debut overall. His shot at the post from an acute angle (28th) was the best scene of the game up to that point. "He's very disgusting to defend," said Berisha's teammate Tobias Strobel on the DAZN microphone during the break. Hertha's Chidera Ejuke (35') almost punished the missed opportunity when he just missed the far post.
After the break, a fast-paced game developed in which things went back and forth. Neither team played to a draw. Since the attacks initially fizzled out in the opposing defensive bulwark, Lucas Tousart from Berlin tried it from a distance - and just passed. Shortly thereafter, Plattenhardt had the time and space to cross from the half field exactly to Lukebakio's head.
The FCA tried to give a prompt answer and now pushed a little more forward. Vain. The rebellion of Augsburg did not last long, Berlin took control again. With Richter coming on late, Hertha managed the result cleverly and rewarded themselves with their first win of the season.
