At halftime in the Europa League game between SC Freiburg and RC Lens, things looked bleak for the Breisgauers. But from the second half onwards, the sports club put on a memorable performance.
Coach Christian Streich’s team was 2-0 behind after 45 minutes. After the goalless draw in the first leg Everything spoke in favor of the northern French qualifying for the round of 16. In the end, the Freiburgers still cheered.
Before David Pereira da Costa made it 0-1 (28th minute), Freiburg keeper Noah Atubolu made a mistake, before central defender Manuel Gulde unfortunately lost an aerial duel before Elye Wahi made it 0-2 (45th + 2). But because Roland Sallai (67./90.+3) saved the hosts in extra time and joker Michael Gregoritsch (99.) scored the winning goal, Freiburg’s almost stopped European Cup journey continues.
Freiburg goalscorers in celebration mode
“It’s crazy. You can’t describe it like that, you have to experience it,” said Gregoritsch in the ARD interview. “This is really something we can live off of for a long time. Something we can talk about for a long time. A wonderful evening.”
Double packer Sallai was also visibly proud after the final whistle. “I think that was the best game I’ve ever played for SC Freiburg. It was great, it was teamwork. We showed again how strong we can be as a team. We’re just happy,” said the Hungarian .
Ginter on the Freiburg “madness”
Like Gregoritsch and Sallai, Matthias Ginter was clearly exhausted after this 120-minute drama. The central defender also spoke of an “amazing” evening. “That’s a good thing today, I think. We deserved to go through based on the first leg. From the second half onwards we showed our good side and were able to build up an incredible energy in the stadium,” said the 30-year-old.
Sallai received special praise from Ginter. “I think the first goal was more ping pong. He just stands correctly both times and seals things in. I’m very, very happy that he scored us into extra time today,” said the defensive player.
Top-class opponents are waiting for SC Freiburg
After the coup against the Champions League relegated team, they are now hoping for the next top-class opponent in Breisgau. Last year, the Bundesliga team put up a good fight against Italy’s record champions Juventus Turin in the round of the best 16, but ultimately lost out.
nn, Sportschau, February 23, 2024 8:01 a.m
The round of 16 will be drawn this Friday from 12 p.m. There SC Freiburg will face one of the group leaders in the preliminary round (West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Glasgow Rangers, Atalanta Bergamo, Liverpool FC, Villarreal FC and Slavia Prague. Bayer Leverkusen is no longer a potential opponent in the round of 16, as the Werkself comes from the same association). The round of 16 will be played on March 7th and 14th.
