Bundesliga on Friday
Despite catching up: Freiburg stops Wolfsburg’s high flight
Updated 12/13/2024 – 10:31 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
It took a while for the game in Freiburg to get going. Shortly before the break, however, the spell was broken – then Wolfsburg and the SC delivered a thriller.
Initiated by a brace from defender Lukas Kübler, SC Freiburg stopped VfL Wolfsburg’s soaring momentum. The Baden team almost lost a 3-0 lead against Lower Saxony, but ultimately defeated them 3-2 (1-0). Freiburg pushed VfL out of fifth place in the Bundesliga.
Kübler scored from corners in the 42nd and 51st minutes. It was his second brace this season. Michael Gregoritsch scored Freiburg’s third goal (61′). For VfL, Jonas Wind (75th minute) and Mattias Svanberg (83rd) each scored as jokers with an overhead kick in front of 32,600 spectators.
The Wolfsburg team had previously won five competitive games in a row. In Freiburg they were initially the better team. But the hosts improved as the game progressed – and earned the three points.
Wolfsburg coach Ralph Hasenhüttl used the same starting eleven for the fifth time in a row across all competitions. They left the ball to Freiburg for long stretches in the first half and waited for moments of transition. One or two of them also surrendered – sometimes due to serious mistakes by the hosts in building up the game. Striker Mohamed Amoura almost took advantage of a mistake to give VfL an early lead (9th).
The Lower Saxony team also became dangerous in the Freiburg penalty area with standard situations. Denis Vavro headed over from a corner (14th), his defensive colleague Konstantinos Koulierakis hit the crossbar (44th). SC keeper Noah Atubolu had previously parried another attempt from the Greek (23′).
The 1-0, after a shot by Ritsu Doan (17th), Freiburg’s first really good chance in the first half, also came from a corner. Höler passed the ball on in the middle rather unintentionally – and Kübler smashed it in. A little later, Vincenzo Grifo was denied by Wolfsburg goalkeeper Kamil Grabara (45′).
VfL coach Hasenhüttl reacted and brought the wind, who was dissatisfied as a substitute but was currently extremely strong, into the second half. However, the Freiburg team now increased the pace. Grabara scratched out a shot from Doan (46th), but he was again powerless against Kübler.
Freiburg’s full-back scored again from a corner – for the fourth time this season. Kübler had already been twice successful in the 3-1 win in the national duel with VfB Stuttgart on the first matchday.
When SC striker Gregoritsch headed Doan’s cross into the goal after just over an hour, the game seemed already decided. But the Dane Wind gave VfL hope again with a goal from a tight angle. The game picked up speed, Freiburg’s Höler missed a triple chance (78th). Svanberg made things really exciting at the end with his dream goal.