Daniel Jebbison produced an outstanding all-round performance against Augsburg, creating two goals, forcing defensive mistakes and leading the press with relentless energy. After saying he wanted to give Marco Rose "something to think about", the striker delivered exactly that, as Cherries won 5-2.
AFC Bournemouth continued their impressive pre-season preparations with a 1-0 victory over Bundesliga outfit FC Augsburg at the Saalfelden Arena on Thursday afternoon, giving Marco Rose's side another encouraging workout ahead of the new campaign.
The Fuggerstädter, who finished ninth in the Bundesliga last season - claimed some notable scalps in their 2025/26 campaign, including away victories over both Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen - and they proved to be physical opponents in this sun-drenched fixture in Austria.
The fixture marked the first opportunity for Cherries supporters to see the club's newly unveiled purple away kit in action following its launch earlier in the day. With the stunning Steinernes Meer mountain range once again providing a spectacular backdrop to what was a very dry pitch, supporters were entertained by AI-generated Cherries songs before a strong Bournemouth side emerged for a match played across four 30-minute quarters.
First Quarter
Bournemouth lined up with Đorđe Petrović in goal behind a back four of Max Aarons, Lewis Cook, Bafode Diakité and Julio Soler. The midfield featured Amine Adli, Alex Scott, Ryan Christie and Rayan, while Justin Kluivert operated just behind Evanilson in attack.
The Cherries began brightly, looking to control possession and set the tempo from the outset. Scott, Christie and Kluivert were particularly lively through the middle, helping Bournemouth establish an early rhythm.
Their positive start was rewarded after 11 minutes. Relentless pressing from Justin Kluivert forced Augsburg goalkeeper Finn Dahmen into a costly mistake, with the German failing to deal with the pressure and gifting Evanilson a simple finish. The Brazilian calmly rolled the ball into an empty net to hand Bournemouth the lead.
Augsburg responded almost immediately. Kade found space inside the penalty area before unleashing a powerful effort, but Petrović reacted well, producing a strong save to preserve the advantage.
As the opening period progressed, Christie became increasingly influential. The Scottish international first tested Dahmen with a deflected effort before producing a superb lofted pass that released Kluivert down the left. The Dutchman drove into the box before cutting the ball back for the arriving Amine Adli, whose curling first-time effort drifted only inches over the crossbar.
Adli soon had another opportunity to get on the scoresheet. Alex Scott threaded a perfectly weighted through ball into his path, but as the Moroccan advanced on goal, Dahmen produced a smart low save to deny him with his left-footed effort.
Second Quarter
Following the first interval, Will Dennis replaced Petrović in goal, while David Brooks came on for Rayan to make his first appearance of pre-season. Alex Toth was also introduced shortly afterwards in place of Ryan Christie.
Although Bournemouth continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack, Augsburg enjoyed more sustained spells of possession and began to find greater space through the middle of the pitch.
Rodrigo Ribeiro was the first to test Dennis, whose handling was assured as he comfortably gathered a low left-footed strike. Moments later, the Bournemouth goalkeeper was called into action again, spreading himself well to deny Kade after the forward broke through from a narrow angle.
The well-oiled WD40 was then required for a third impressive intervention in quick succession. The goalkeeper tipped over an ambitious effort from Wolf that appeared destined for the top corner, drawing appreciative applause from those inside the Saalfelden Arena.
As the quarter wore on, Daniel Jebbison replaced Evanilson after the Brazilian required treatment. The Canadian was immediately called into defensive action, clearing a quickly-taken free-kick behind for a corner as Augsburg continued to apply pressure.
A couple of uncharacteristic loose moments from Lewis Cook almost gifted Manuel Baum's side an equaliser before the halfway whistle, but Dennis remained composed throughout, producing another assured display to keep the Bundesliga side at bay and preserve Bournemouth's slender advantage heading into the second half.
Third Quarter
The third quarter saw Marco Rose make wholesale changes, with an almost entirely new XI taking to the pitch. Fraser Forster started in goal behind a back four of Adrien Truffert, James Hill, Harold William and Adam Smith. Alex Toth and Charlie Stevens anchored the midfield, while Marcus Tavernier and Ben Gannon-Doak occupied the wide positions, with David Brooks operating behind striker Daniel Jebbison.
Despite the changes, Bournemouth looked sharp from the restart. Ben Gannon-Doak was quick to make an impact, releasing Adam Smith down the right flank. The veteran full-back drove towards goal before seeing his low effort across the face of goal deflected behind for a corner.
The Cherries continued to threaten and, moments later, some neat interplay between Marcus Tavernier and David Brooks carved out another opportunity. Brooks burst into the penalty area before dragging a left-footed effort over the crossbar from close range.
Jebbison, who told local media last week that he wanted to give Marco Rose something to think about ahead of the new season, certainly backed up those words with his performance. His relentless pressing forced Augsburg into a costly defensive error, allowing him to tee up Alex Toth, who calmly swept home from close range to extend Bournemouth's advantage.
The striker's influence did not stop there. Minutes later, Jebbison won possession in midfield before combining brilliantly with Tavernier to surge towards goal. After teasing the defence by shifting the ball from left to right, he picked out Ben Gannon-Doak on the right-hand side. The youngster produced a finish almost identical to the one he scored against St. Pauli, this time with his right foot, clinically finding the net to put Bournemouth 3-0 ahead.
Augsburg pulled a goal back on 70 minutes in unusual circumstances. A chaotic scramble inside the Bournemouth penalty area eventually led to the referee pointing to the spot, with Alexis Claude-Maurice converting the resulting penalty to reduce the deficit.
Following the introduction of Malcolm Dacosta González for David Brooks, Bournemouth almost restored their three-goal cushion. Marcus Tavernier threaded a superb pass through to Jebbison, who raced clear on goal, only to be denied by an outstanding save from Nediljko Labrović.
That missed opportunity proved costly almost immediately. Claude-Maurice delivered a dangerous corner into the box, where Tim Schnitzer glanced a header into the net to make it 3-2 and set up a tense finish.
However, Bournemouth responded in emphatic fashion before the end of the quarter. Determined to make amends for his earlier miss, Jebbison showed tremendous athleticism and determination to win possession high up the pitch before feeding Tavernier. Rather than shooting himself, Tavernier unselfishly squared for Ben Gannon-Doak, who in turn teed up Malcolm Dacosta González. Although his effort was parried by Labrović, the rebound fell kindly to Tavernier, who reacted quickest to slam the ball home from close range and restore Bournemouth's two-goal advantage.
Fourth Quarter
The final quarter saw Marco Rose make two further changes, with Daniel Jebbison and Fraser Forster making way for Enes Ünal and 19-year-old goalkeeper Kai Crampton, who was handed the opportunity to see out the closing stages between the sticks.
Although Augsburg continued to ask questions and enjoyed spells of possession, Bournemouth remained the more dangerous side going forward. Ben Gannon-Doak was once again at the heart of much of the Cherries' attacking play, producing another energetic display. The winger embarked on a lung-busting run down the right flank before driving into the penalty area. As he closed in on goal, he looked to square the ball across the six-yard box for a team-mate, but Augsburg recovered just in time, hacking the ball clear on the byline to prevent Bournemouth from extending their lead.
Shortly afterwards, Gannon-Doak's impressive afternoon came to an end as he was replaced by Remy Rees-Dottin. The substitute immediately made his presence felt, pressing aggressively from the front and refusing to give Augsburg's defenders any time on the ball whenever opportunities arose.
With Bournemouth growing increasingly dominant as the contest entered its closing stages, another of the club's talented young prospects caught the eye. Malcolm Dacosta González linked up superbly with Enes Ünal in and around the edge of the penalty area, exchanging a series of crisp passes before threading an excellent through ball into the path of the onrushing Marcus Tavernier. Rather than going for goal himself, Tavernier showed great awareness to square the ball across the face of goal, allowing Ünal the simple task of tapping into an empty net to cap off another flowing Bournemouth move.
As the game entered its final moments, Zac Christie was introduced for the final six minutes in place of Alex Toth. His arrival meant Bournemouth finished the match with six development squad players on the pitch, underlining both the depth of Marco Rose's squad and the club's continued commitment to giving opportunities to its emerging academy talent during pre-season.
