Sunday night’s Bundesliga clash between FC Augsburg and SC Freiburg saw both teams chasing club records. The hosts, unbeaten in seven and boasting one of the league’s most formidable defences in recent weeks, had the chance to match a club-best run set over a decade ago by getting at least a draw. Meanwhile, Freiburg were hoping to extend their run of four consecutive wins without conceding. Three points in Augsburg would have seen them equal their club record set in winter 2020/21.

The goalkeepers also had records in their sights. SCF’s Noah Atubolu had gone 396 minutes without conceding ahead of kick-off – another clean sheet would see him edge closer to emulating Richard Golz’s club record of 509 minutes from the 2000/01 season. At the other end, Augsburg’s Finn Dahmen only needed 55 more minutes to surpass Marvin Hitz’s club-best of 398 minutes without conceding.

Augsburg on top 

The hosts signaled their attacking intent from the get-go, winning three corners within the opening two minutes. Freiburg dealt with the early pressure unscathed. The game’s first real chance also fell to the hosts from a set piece in the 13th minute. After a foul just outside the box, Philip Tietz struck a powerful free-kick towards the middle of the goal, but Freiburg keeper Atubolu was equal to it.

Clear-cut chances from open play, however, were few and far between in the early stages, with both sides defending compactly. That was until the 24th minute, when Augsburg caught SC napping down the left-hand side. The subsequent cross was only partially cleared to Frank Onyeka, who struck a first-time effort from the edge of the box, forcing Atubolu into a fingertip save onto the crossbar. The ball rebounded off the keeper’s back but fortunately didn’t cross the line.

That close shave sparked a period of pressure from FCA, who took control of the encounter. Freiburg struggled to contain the hosts’ attacking play, with misplaced passes and lapses in concentration leading to several nervy moments inside their own box. "Augsburg started to take control after 20 minutes,” Freiburg head coach Julian Schuster admitted after the game. “We couldn’t find the right moments to press, which allowed them to create chances." 

Freiburg nearly snatched the lead themselves in the 37th minute when Merlin Röhl went on a surging solo run from midfield, only to be denied at the last moment by a well-timed challenge from Augsburg captain Jeffrey Gouweleeuw. In stoppage time, the hosts squandered their best chance of the half. A loose ball inside the box fell to Tietz, who could only fire straight at Atubolu from 12 yards out, letting Freiburg off the hook as both sides went into the break still goalless.

More energy after the break

Freiburg emerged for the second half unchanged but with renewed vigour. Röhl tested Finn Dahmen in the 57th minute with a long-range effort, but the Augsburg keeper – who by then had officially broken his club’s record – confidently dealt with it.

The visitors also started to find more success breaking through FCA’s defensive lines. Substitute Niklas Beste, introduced just moments earlier, had the best chance to break the deadlock after the hour mark. Following a fine through ball from Röhl, the winter signing found himself one-on-one with the keeper, but was denied by a brilliant stop from Dahmen (63’).

The intensity increased and Freiburg gradually asserted control as the game entered its final stages, though chances at both ends of the pitch kept the 29,000 fans at the WWK Arena on the edge of their seats.

Despite their growing dominance, Julian Schuster’s men couldn’t find the decisive goal. Indeed, they had to endure one final scare deep into stoppage time to hold on to a valuable point. Substitute Steve Mounié thought he had snatched victory for his side, only to see his close-range effort crash against the inside of the post, before the referee blew for full-time. "We’ll take a point against a very strong opponent,” said Schuster after the match. “It’s never a given to come away with something against this team.”

After stretching their unbeaten run to eight games and with goalkeeper Finn Dahmen extending his clean-sheet streak, Augsburg edged the night’s battle of the records. However, Freiburg had a milestone of their own to celebrate, matching a club-best run with their fifth consecutive clean sheet. And if nothing else, they can take comfort in having already hit the coveted 40-point mark after just 24 matchdays.