SC Freiburg won the Europa League game against Serbian club TSC Backa Topola. After a bitter first half, Vincenzo Grifo becomes the match winner.
Nemanja Petrovic gave the hosts the lead in the 13th minute. Vincenzo Grifo equalized after the break with a penalty kick (49′) and turned the game around with a free kick (59′). In the 73rd minute, the Italian international made the final score 3-1. Freiburg has six points after the win. Backa Topola has one point on her account.
The Freiburg team started the encounter in front of 4,500 spectators in the TSC Arena in a controlled manner and with a lot of possession of the ball. Roland Sallai had his first chance, intercepting a pass from goalkeeper Veljko Ilic, but his direct shot went wide of the goal (9th minute). Three minutes later, Maximilian Eggestein put his header over the goal.
Backa Topola initially concentrated on defense, but then struck coldly during the first offensive action. Sasa Jovanovic was served with a long ball on the right side. Petrovic converted his sharp cross in the center after escaping behind Matthias Ginter.
Backa Topola stronger – SC Freiburg is having a hard time
With the opening goal, events on the pitch changed. Backa Topola was now increasingly looking for the way forward. The sports club obviously had problems sorting itself out after the surprising deficit. After around 20 minutes, Vincenzo Grifo took a free kick to the far post, where Sallai was unable to head the ball onto the goal from a tight angle. To make matters worse, the attacker was injured in this action and had to be replaced. Lucas Höler came into the game for the Hungarian.
Overall, Freiburg’s attack was too static and the Serbs didn’t have much trouble keeping Breisgau away from their own goal. Exception: In the 29th minute, Noah Weißhaupt came with a lot of speed from the left and shot straight from 17 meters. However, goalkeeper Ilic saved without any problems.
Freiburg’s Höler’s goal doesn’t count
In the 37th minute, the sports club celebrated the equalizer – but only until the video referee called in. Höler had scored from a cross, but Grifo was offside before the goal. A short time later the next setback: After Sallai, Maximilian Philipp also had to leave the field with a shoulder injury. Center forward Michael Gregoritsch was new to the game.
But Christian Streich’s team remained in control. In the last minute of the first half, Ginter missed the 1:1 by just centimeters. His direct shot from Grifo’s free kick flashed past the far corner. Defeat, two injuries, the missed goal – a bitter first half for Freiburg.
Freiburg’s Grifo remains ice cold from the point
The second half started all the better for the guests. After a corner from Grifo, the ball flew onto Jovanovic’s arm. Referee Aliyar Aghayev (Azerbaijan) didn’t hesitate for a second and pointed to the penalty spot. Grifo stayed ice-cold and scored the equalizer in the top right corner. Three minutes later there was almost a double blow: first Weißhaupt’s shot was blocked, Ritsu Doan missed the rebound before Grifo pulled the ball past the right corner.
In the 55th minute, Michael Gregoritsch headed in what was supposed to be 2-1, but the crosser Weißhaupt had been just offside. It was now an assault by the SC. Shortly afterwards, Grifo once again showed his class with dead balls. The Italian converted a free kick from the right side from a good 20 meters into the right corner and caught goalkeeper Ilic wrong-footed.
Grifo puts together a three-pack
Shortly after taking the lead, Freiburg were inattentive on defense. Ifet Dakovac shot free from a tight angle, but only hit the side netting. But the sports club was still in charge. Grifo finally made the decision with his third goal. After Doan’s cross, the 30-year-old prepared the ball and deliberately shot it into the near corner.
With the score 3-1, the game was somewhat out of steam and the Breisgauers controlled the action. In the 80th minute, coach Streich took Grifo off the field, who received the well-deserved applause of the 500 Freiburg fans who had traveled with him. In the final minutes, Backa Topola once again appeared more on the offensive, but it was no longer really dangerous until the final whistle.
Second leg in November
Freiburg and Backa Topola will face each other in the second leg on November 9th. Kick-off at the Europa Park Stadium is at 9 p.m. In the Bundesliga, the strike team will face league leaders Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday (October 29, 2023) at 5:30 p.m
