Augsburg vs Borussia Mönchengladbach: Gregoritsch stars in 3-1 win

FC Augsburg beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1, but the scoreline only tells part of it. Michael Gregoritsch scored twice, won Man of the Match with 65 per cent of the votes, and Giovanni Reyna finished the game with the late goal that settled the eye test as much as the result. A 13th-minute injury, a change off the bench, and a 72nd-minute finish mattered just as much as the final line.

Gregoritsch and Reyna took the game

Gregoritsch was the main reason Augsburg kept their grip on the match. He scored twice from four shots and was rated 8.2, the kind of return that turns a decent home performance into a comfortable one. The report from bundesliga.com called him the undisputed star of the show, and that fits the way he decided the game around the penalty area.

Reyna had the most eye-catching late contribution. He scored his first goal for the club in the second minute of stoppage time, then backed it up with six key passes and two dribbles in 33 minutes. goal.com also noted that he was pretty impressive overall, and the numbers support that view. His 8.3 rating in 36 minutes was the best of the attacking pieces on the night.

There is a small dispute over Gregoritsch's build-up role on the opening goal, with one account crediting him for the assist and the event log not listing him as the official provider. The bigger point still stands. He was the decisive scorer, and Reyna was the cleanest late threat on the pitch.

The injury and substitution changed Augsburg's shape

The other turning point came early. Dimitrios Giannoulis went down clutching his left thigh in the 13th minute and could not continue. Robin Fellhauer came on in the 14th minute, and his introduction immediately altered Augsburg's attacking shape.

Fellhauer scored Augsburg's second goal in the 42nd minute, then Michael Gregoritsch added the second of his own in the 72nd minute to shut the game down properly. bundesliga.com described the substitution as a turning point, which is fair enough. It was also one of those matches where the bench did not just cover a problem, it changed the rhythm of the team.

A sold-out WWK Arena with 30,660 supporters saw Augsburg handle the disruption better than Gladbach did. Rocco Reitz was Gladbach's most effective creator with an assist, two key passes and six duels won, while their goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas still made seven saves despite conceding three times. Gladbach sit 11th on 35 points after 33 matches, which underlines how little Reyna's late goal changed their season picture.