Europa League: SC Freiburg is eliminated in the round of 16 against Juventus Turin

Vlahovic and Chiesa meet

A controversial handball has denied SC Freiburg the chance of progressing in the Europa League. In the emotionally charged round of 16, the people of Breisgau were eliminated after a courageous performance on Thursday after a 0:2 (0:1) against Juventus Turin. The Italian record champions benefited from a much-discussed penalty just before half-time. This was converted by Dusan Vlahovic (45′) after Freiburg’s Manuel Gulde was unlucky to get the ball on his forearm. To make matters worse, Gulde saw the yellow-red card and had to leave the field. Turin’s Federico Chiesa (90+5) scored late to make it 2-0.

Freiburg, who were outnumbered for a long time and still tried everything, had big plans for the most important game in their club’s history after the 1-0 loss in the first leg. “We have to get the fans behind us and set the stadium on fire,” said Michael Gregoritsch one day before the game. Freiburg could have sold more than double the number of tickets, but even so, the majority of the 33,420 spectators in the Europa-Park stadium ensured an atmospheric football festival.

And the Freiburg players played their part in making the arena even louder after kick-off. They were aggressive from the first minute and, unlike in the first leg, presented themselves much more courageously. The first degree also belonged to the home side. Ritsu Doan didn’t put any pressure behind the ball from a distance (5′).

SC coach Christian Streich surprised with his starting XI because he put the Italian national player Vincenzo Grifo on the bench. “There’s nothing behind it. I decided to do this with a very, very heavy heart. I’m so sorry for Vincenzo, but I had to make a decision,” said the coach on “RTL +”. In the first few minutes he could feel confirmed. Only thanks to Wojciech Szczesny, who brilliantly parried a header from Matthias Ginter, did Turin keep their lead (21st). Guest trainer Massimiliano Allegri announced at the press conference that he did not want to rest on the cushion. “We want to score here because just trying to defend a goalless draw is really not a good idea,” he had said. However, his team hardly invested anything in the offensive for long stretches – until the 27th minute. After a free kick by former Frankfurt player Filip Kostic, Vlahovic shot the ball over the line. However, the video referee intervened because of an offside position, the goal was not recognized.

Penalty goal puts Juventus on the road to victory – Chiesa puts the end

It was the start of a better phase for Turin, who rewarded themselves just before the break. Gulde, who was allowed to play for Philipp Lienhart, who was still injured, unhappily jumped the ball onto his forearm. He saw his second yellow card for the offense. It was Flekken’s turn to take a weak penalty, but Vlahovic was lucky.

After being sent off, Streich strengthened his defense. However, his players continued to emit danger. After an opaque situation, referee Serdar Gözübüyük again ruled against SC and thus aroused the displeasure of the home fans. The experienced players from Turin were not unsettled by the heated atmosphere and did not do more than was necessary after the change of sides until Chiesa finally scored. At the Sport-Club, Grifo, who came on after a good hour, was no longer able to initiate the turnaround.

#SCFJUV 0-2 (90′)
Ending. Proud of this team. To these fans. To this club. pic.twitter.com/DCkxfVTZgl

— SC Freiburg (@scfreiburg) March 16, 2023

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