Florian Grillitsch’s first Bundesliga brace helped Hoffenheim end its seven-game winless run as they defeated Augsburg 3-1 in their latest encounter in the ongoing German football league.
Hoffenheim on Monday grabbed a perfect start on home soil as Grillitsch scored the opener with the first chance of the game in the 17th minute, reports Xinhua news agency.
The Austrian international capitalized on the pinpoint cross to the far post from fellow countryman Christoph Baumgartner and beat Augsburg goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz from very close range.
Hoffenheim gained momentum and kept Augsburg’s defense busy as Grillitsch pulled wide three minutes later before Sebastian Rudy and Baumgartner tested Gikiewicz in quick succession.
But just when Hoffenheim appeared likely to score its second goal, it was the visitors who restored parity out of the blue at the half-hour mark, when Michael Gregoritsch’s cross allowed Daniel Caligiuri to nod home.
Both sides had the chance to take the lead before the break, but Gikiewicz defused Andrej Kramaric’s promising effort, while Hoffenheim keeper Oliver Baumann denied Florian Niederlechner from a tight angle at the other end.
After the restart, Hoffenheim took a 2-1 lead as Ihlas Bebou’s header found Grillitsch, who shrugged off defender Jeffrey Gouweleeuw before drilling the ball into the bottom corner just seconds into the half.
Hoffenheim wasn’t done with scoring, as Bebou got his name on the scoreboard as well after dancing through Augsburg’s defense to beat Gikiewicz on 50 minutes.
Heiko Herrlich’s men tried to respond and thought they had reduced the arrears, but Gregoritsch’s goal was ruled offside at the hour mark.
With the victory, Hoffenheim climb to the 10th position while Augsburg slips to 11th place in the standings.
