Augsburg's Michael Gregoritsch (L) vies with Hoffenheim's Kerem Demirbay during a German Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Augsburg, Germany, on April 7, 2019. Hoffenheim won 4-0. (Xinhua/Philippe Ruiz)
BERLIN, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Ishak Belfodil's hat-trick secured Hoffenheim a 4-0 victory over Augsburg and moved the "TSG" closer to a berth in the Europa League after the closer of the 28th round in Bundesliga on Sunday.
The visitors caught a fairy-tale start on the road as Belfodil's blocked shot allowed Andrej Kramaric to open the scoring with a follow-up shot from very close range with six minutes played.
Augsburg were shocked and unable to respond, while Hoffenheim missed the chance twice to extend the lead as neither Belfodil nor Kramaric were able to make the most of their chances.
Hoffenheim's wastefulness were not punished as Augsburg failed to threat the visitor's defense at all in the first half.
Both sides started offensively minded going into the second half as Belfodil tested Augsburg goalkeeper Gregor Kobel twice before Michael Gregoritsch's header over the target, marking Augsburg's first chance of the game in the 53rd minute.
Hoffenheim eventually extended the lead in the 61st minute when Belfodil's diving header made it 2-0 on the scoreboards.
The second goal took the wind out of Augsburg's sails, and Hoffenheim gained momentum as Belfodil capitalized on Florian Grilitsch's build-up work to seal his brace and the 3-0 lead with 74 minutes into the game.
The third goal sealed the deal, but Belfodil wasn't done with the scoring and wrapped up his hat-trick in the closing period after slotting home from inside the box in the 82nd minute.
With the victory, Hoffenheim move to the seventh place in the standings and is just one point away from the international business, while Augsburg remain on the 15th position.
Elsewhere, Florian Neuhaus' opener wasn't enough for Borussia Monchengladbach as Davy Klaassen restored parity 11 minutes from time to help Werder Bremen snatch one point on the road.
With the result, Monchengladbach stay in the top five while Bremen slumped to eighth place, two points adrift from the international spots.
