Hjulmand frustrated by Leverkusen's mindset in defeat to Augsburg

Kasper Hjulmand was left to bemoan his Bayer Leverkusen team's mentality after their 2-0 defeat at Augsburg on Saturday.

Leverkusen suffered their second Bundesliga defeat in the space of a week, as Dimitrios Giannoulis and Anton Kade were on target for Augsburg, who were under the interim management of Manuel Baum.

Hjulmand's team had 20 shots and generated the higher expected goals (xG) figure – 1.63 to 1.28 – but they managed to get just two attempts on target, despite 12 of their attempts coming from inside Augsburg's box.

"We’re obviously not satisfied with how we performed – it just wasn’t enough," said Hjulmand.

"We didn’t play with the right mindset. We have to be able to play better, which is why we’re disappointed.

"Now, we have to manage to quickly sort ourselves out, because we have two big games coming up next week."

Leverkusen take on Newcastle United in the Champions League on Wednesday before facing Koln in their penultimate Bundesliga fixture of 2025.

Augsburg, meanwhile, claimed their fourth league win of the season. They parted ways with Sandro Wagner last week, with Baum taking charge for at least the rest of this month.

"It was a real challenge to prepare ourselves for Leverkusen, as they are a top team," said Baum.

"You could tell today that the lads were extremely connected to each other, the atmosphere in the stadium and the fans. There was a real flow to be seen and enjoyed.

"There were a couple of moments where we were a bit lucky, but conversely, we also hit the crossbar once. I’m delighted for the players and for the club."