Augsburg saw off Energie Cottbus 2-0 in the Round of 64 at the LEAG Energie Stadion on Friday evening. The visitors held on after Anton Kade's first-half opener, adding a late second when the game had gone quiet. Cottbus dominated possession but could not find the breakthrough they needed.
The breakthrough came in the 49th minute. Kade finished a move that had built steadily throughout the half, catching Cottbus off guard by then. The hosts had been the busier side but their chances went begging. To be fair, Augsburg showed patience in possession and did not force issues.
Not much changed after the interval. Cottbus threw bodies forward but found too many bodies in blue to deal with. Kristijan Jakić pulled one back late on, but the damage had been done. The goal came in the 90th minute plus five, when time had already run out.
The statistics tell a story that does not match the scoreboard. Cottbus held 60 per cent of the ball and registered 14 shots, but only managed 1.05 expected goals. Augsburg had 40 per cent possession and 15 shots, producing 1.65 expected goals. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging, and that is what happened here.
Cottbus will now head into the next round with their backs against the wall. Augsburg have one foot in the next round and can take confidence from a result that was decided by moments rather than minutes. The table goes out of the window in these games, but this was a professional performance from the visitors.