Augsburg's goal against Bayern Munich after 8.4 seconds was no fluke. The hosts had studied a weakness in the Bavarian giants' approach to kick-offs, and they punished it on the way to a valuable 2-2 draw in the Bundesliga.
Robin Fellhauer, scorer of the fastest goal in Bundesliga history, revealed that his side had pored over Bayern's method of restarting play, with the Bavarians in the habit of rolling the ball back to Manuel Neuer, who then sends it long.
Fellhauer, who joined Augsburg from Elversberg in the summer of 2025 for 700,000 euros, said: "We discussed Bayern's tactic clearly before the match. My job was to get past Alphonso Davies and press Neuer to stop him from controlling the ball."
He added to the German newspaper "Bild": "I got past Davies relatively easily, then I noticed that the ball bounced unexpectedly in front of Neuer, so I surged towards him and pressed him from the closest possible point."
It worked quicker than anybody imagined. Harry Kane rolled the ball back to Neuer at kick-off, the German misjudged the bounce, and Fellhauer had an empty net in front of him. Augsburg led after 8.4 seconds.
Neuer made no attempt to hide how long Bayern have leaned on the routine, telling "Bild": "It is the traditional strategy, and we have been following it for a long time." The veteran's error may yet force the coaching staff to ask whether it is worth persisting with in the matches ahead.
That strike broke the previous record for the fastest goal in Bundesliga history, beating Karim Bellarabi, who scored after 9 seconds, and Kevin Volland, whose goal also came after 9 seconds, according to the figures circulated in the competition's records. Both men sent Fellhauer their congratulations.
Bayern have been caught out by Augsburg before. In the 2018-2019 season, the hosts went ahead after 12 seconds when Leon Goretzka turned the ball into his own net, and the surprises kept coming in later meetings.
The early goal was only half the job. Augsburg stood firm against wave after wave of Bayern pressure, leaning on defensive organisation and quick breaks on the counter to keep hold of something from the game until the final whistle.
Coach Manuel Baum praised his players' performance, stressing that the draw was the fruit of outstanding collective work, both from those who started the match and those who came on as substitutes.
Baum said: "It was a brilliant team performance, regardless of who started the match or who came on as a substitute. For that reason, it would not be appropriate to single out any player today. I am very proud of the players and of everyone who was present on the pitch."
Augsburg's plan unsettled Bayern, but the visitors must shoulder some of the blame for both goals. Their own errors handed the hosts the route back into the match.