Still adjusting to life after the dismissal of Sandro Wagner, Augsburg seemingly had no chance in the face of a Leverkusen side that had won the last four meetings.
But they believed in themselves when few others did, and roared into a 2-0 half-time lead via goals inside the opening half-hour. Dimitrios Giannoulis played a part in both, firstly latching onto a precise through-ball from Keven Schlotterbeck before firing into the net via the boot of Ernest Poku as he feebly attempted a goalline clearance.
Back in February 2023, Leverkusen’s last set of successive defeats saw them follow up a loss to Augsburg after one against Dortmund. And just a couple of minutes after Alexis Claude-Maurice hit the bar with an attempted lob, the chances of history repeating itself went up several notches on 28’.
Giannoulis turned provider, as he took the ball in his stride on the left flank and played in an inch-perfect ball for Anton Kade to head into the far corner.
With Leverkusen twice hitting the woodwork just before the break Augsburg knew the job still wasn’t done. Yet, the post-interval flurry from Die Werkself didn’t materialise as much as anticipated, with Patrik Schick twice firing off target and Poku missing the mark.
Augsburg weren’t exactly playing 10 men at the back either, though, and only the legs of Flekken denied Kade a second as he burst through on goal and tried to finish low past the rattled stopper.
As the clock ticked into the final 20 minutes, Augsburg continued giving back most of what they got in equal measure. Only a last-ditch block kept Mert Komur off the scoresheet when Leverkusen failed to clear their lines.
That almost saw Augsburg punished, as Nathan Tella failed to fire in on the rebound after Finn Dahmen tipped an initial effort onto one post and across the goal line.
Though they had an unconvincing pre-match record from Bundesliga games in which they’d scored first (W3, D1, L2), Augsburg held on for victory, and having gone into this clash lamenting their worst start to a Bundesliga season for a decade, this result may prove crucial in what remains a tight battle to avoid relegation.
Meanwhile, if Leverkusen’s title hopes weren’t over already, they surely are now, as they trail leaders Bayern Munich by 14 points.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Dimitrios Giannoulis (Augsburg)