Gregoritsch Goal! Augsburg Celebrates Clear Opening Victory Against Schalke

FC Augsburg celebrates a 3-0 home victory against promoted side Schalke 04 on the first matchday of the German Bundesliga.

The hosts showed dominance from the start and quickly created chances.

As early as the 18th minute, Michael Gregoritsch was perfectly positioned after a low cross from Kade and slotted home for a 1-0 lead.

With his 66th Bundesliga goal, the Austrian striker draws level with Martin Harnik. Among Austrians, only Wilhelm Huberts and Toni Polster have scored more goals.

Even after that, Augsburg remained the more active team and consistently created good opportunities.

Schalke Too Harmless

Bundesliga returnees Schalke, however, only managed sporadic attacks. In the 41st minute, Aouchiche had the visitors' first really good chance, but he didn't connect properly with the ball after a pass from Sylla.

From the 63rd minute, Augsburg played with a numerical advantage. Schallenberg brought down Gregoritsch as the last man and was shown a red card for it.

Wöber Error Leads to Goal Against

In the 71st minute, Gregoritsch had the chance for his second goal. However, Karius was able to save his header from a promising position.

Shortly after, an error by Wöber led to Schalke's second conceded goal. The center-back played a misplaced pass during the build-up, allowing Kade to pick up pace and slot the ball into the net off the inside of the post (79).

Ribeiro sealed the victory in the second minute of injury time with a powerful shot from a tight angle.

In the end, it was a deserved 3-0 victory for Augsburg. Miron Muslic surely envisioned his return to the top flight differently.