Outnumbered early on
©IMAGO
After another magical football evening including a red card, a brace and a dream goal, SC Freiburg is in an international final for the first time. The Baden team defeated SC Braga 3-1 (2-0) in the semi-final second leg of the Europa League and thus turned around the 1-2 deficit from the unfortunate loss of the first duel a week ago. The final on May 20th in Istanbul will be the biggest game in the club’s history for the SC. The opponent will be Aston Villa.
Double goalscorer Lukas Kübler (19th/72nd minute) and shooting star Johan Manzambi (41st) scored for Freiburg in front of 33,700 spectators. Mario Dorgeles was shown red for the guests in the seventh minute because of an emergency stop. Pau Víctor’s goal (79′) came too late for the Portuguese.
It was seething in Breisgau. From the first minute, the SC fans loudly pushed their team forward. And the hosts, who were looking for a duel in the early stages, got off to a perfect start by being sent off. Niklas Beste stormed freely towards Braga keeper Lukas Hornicek and was brought down by Dorgeles. Referee Davide Massa from Italy immediately and rightly showed the red card to the offensive man, who had shocked Freiburg with his winning goal in stoppage time a week ago.
Kübler scored strangely for SC Freiburg, Manzambi fantastically
So Braga had to be outnumbered for more than 80 minutes – and that against the strong home sports club, which has won all of its Europa League games in its own stadium this season. The Baden team largely pushed the Portuguese back, had more than 70 percent possession of the ball and luck was on their side when they scored the opening goal.
After the guests’ header defense was too short, Kübler somehow flipped the ball to the left inside post, from where it rolled into the net to make it 1-0. As a result, the fourth-placed team in the Portuguese league didn’t allow Freiburg any more big chances, but had to chase a lot. SC coach Julian Schuster repeatedly instructed his players to keep calm.
Five minutes before half-time, the seventh-place team in the Bundesliga struck again – and how. Midfield jewel Manzambi, this time in the playmaker position instead of the injured Yuito Suzuki, scored with a curling shot from 20 meters. Braga reacted to the setback and almost shortened the score shortly before the break: Víctor Gómez only hit the post, and SC defender Philipp Treu saved Rodrigo Zalazar’s follow-up shot (45+1).
As if Braga’s double chance had been another warning, Freiburg pushed for a decision at the start of the second half. Vincenzo Grifo with a shot on the post (47th), defense chief Matthias Ginter (49th) and the busy Manzambi (52nd) missed opportunities every minute. The guests then became more offensive again and there were now chances on both sides. Veteran João Moutinho narrowly missed the ball (69′), then guest goalkeeper Hornicek made two strong saves (70′).
After full-back Kübler made it 3-0 with a header, the game seemed to be decided in Freiburg’s favor. Victor – also with a header – made it exciting again. Braga threw everything forward in the final phase. Unlike the drama against VfB Stuttgart in the DFB Cup two weeks ago, Freiburg’s final dream did not collapse this time.
The English duel was also filmed in the other semi-final second leg. Aston Villa clearly defeated Nottingham Forest 4-0 (1-0) after 0-1 in the first leg. Ollie Watkins (36′) gave the Birmingham club the lead in the first half, and after the break ex-Leverkusen player Emiliano Buendía (58′) increased the lead. John McGinn (77th/80th) made everything clear with a brace shortly before the end.
Additional Champions League place goes to Spain
Despite Freiburg reaching the final, Germany no longer has the opportunity to achieve the additional Champions League starting place via the UEFA ranking. Since Rayo Vallecano also won the second leg at RC Strasbourg Alsace 1-0 (1-0) in the Conference League on Thursday, Spain’s lead is too big. The UEFA coefficient for LaLiga rose to 22,093 thanks to the Franjirrojos’ success. If Freiburg won the Europa League final, the Bundesliga would have a maximum of 22,071.
What exactly is it about? Every season, UEFA awards two additional starting places in the Champions League to the two countries whose clubs score best in the European Cup. The UEFA ranking is calculated from the performances of all participating teams. With a win – regardless of the competition – a club collects two points, with a draw one. This number is halved in the qualification and playoffs. From the league phase onwards, bonus points are awarded for certain placements and for reaching further rounds. A nation’s total points are divided by the number of clubs from that country represented in the European Cup. This is how the UEFA coefficient is calculated.
The undisputed leader this season is once again England with 28.125 points. The Premier League had already secured one of the coveted two premier class tickets before the semi-finals. However, the Breisgauers themselves could still ensure a fifth German participant in the premier class. By winning the title they would have secured a place in the Champions League. If the sports club were to qualify for the European Cup via the Bundesliga, this starting place would no longer be available and would go to another nation. If Freiburg were to miss seventh place, the number of European Cup participants would increase to eight.
Four years after the Eintracht title: Glasner in the next final
Rayo Vallecano, who won with a goal from Alemão (42nd), will face top favorite Crystal Palace in the Conference League final. Coach Oliver Glasner is reaching for the next international trophy. After the 3-1 first leg win in the evening, the English also won the second leg against Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 (1-1). The final will take place on May 27th in Leipzig.
The Londoners scored an own goal from Pedro Henrique (25th) and Ismaila Sarr (52nd). Glasner could win another international competition four years after the Europa League title with Eintracht Frankfurt. The 51-year-old Austrian moved to the British island in 2024 and surprisingly won the FA Cup last year. If you win the title in the Conference League, you go straight to the Europa League. This is no longer possible via the league. Crystal Palace is currently 15th in the Premier League with 43 points.