Despite the final spectacle: Freiburg wins a hard-fought game against Mainz

SC Freiburg clinched their next win against 1. FSV Mainz 05 and are unbeaten in six games in the Bundesliga.

In the 2-1 win, Michael Gregoritsch put the sports club in the lead after three minutes with a goal worth seeing. Daniel-Kofi Kyereh made it 2-0 before the break (37th minute). After the break, Aarón (52′) scored the goal for the visitors. In a wild final phase, Freiburg presented themselves in the style of a top team and showed no nerves.

“Winning against Mainz is extremely difficult,” said Freiburg coach Christian Streich. That’s why it’s “wonderful”. “I haven’t seen that very often.” The Mainz coach Bo Svensson, on the other hand, drew a sobering conclusion, who attested to having given his team everything. “But – we behaved naively in the game-changing scenes.”

Mainz brave, Freiburg scores

Mainz had big plans, the hosts ran early from the start and tried to put them under pressure. Freiburg, who played against Mainz for the fourth time in a row with the same starting formation, seemed completely unimpressed and overcame Mainz’s midfield early on with a long ball into the center. There Kyereh missed the first good opportunity.

However, because the Mainz back line did not defend consistently enough, the next chance for the sports club followed immediately. And he didn’t need to be asked twice – Gregoritsch plucked up courage from a good 17 meters away from the goal and slotted the ball into the short angle to take the lead (3′).

Again and again Gregoritsch

After they conceded, the guests created their first good chance of the game – but Jonathan Burkardt caught the ball with his temple from close range and didn’t put it in the goal (6′). The next chance for Mainz was then thwarted by Freiburg keeper Mark Flekken, who was there when Anton Stach shot. (16th). Coach Svensson’s team tried their best to gain more control of the game, but rarely managed to defend well from Sportclub’s long balls into the penalty area.

Above all, Gregoritsch (22nd/29th) was able to finish free in front of the goal again and again. In the 37th minute, the Austrian put the ball on the aluminum but then teammate Kyereh was there and scored to make it 2-0. With the clear lead from the hosts’ point of view, we went into the dressing room.

Mainz back in the game

Mainz 05 got off to a better start after the break. Burkardt took advantage of an unsuccessful attempt by Matthias Ginter to clear the ball and put the ball across in the Freiburg penalty area to Aarón, who scored the goal (52′). The Mainzers were now fully there, also thanks to the loud support of the fans who had traveled with them. Burkardt had two chances to equalize, but was initially denied by SC keeper Flekken and then put the ball over the goal from a tight angle (64’/65′).

And Christian Streich’s team? It made more mistakes in the build-up game from the beginning of the final phase, seemed increasingly imprecise in the now more hectic game and only posed a goal threat after dead balls. Gregoritsch extended a free kick from Grifo with his head – but Mainz keeper Zentner was there (67th).

Wild final phase

It was also the Mainz goalkeeper who kept his head and his nerves during the hosts’ final offensive. Christian Günter (81st) and again Grifo (82nd) ​​could not overcome the keeper. Despite a few chances, goals were not scored in the closing stages, but it was a record for Mainz. Nelson Weiper made his Bundesliga debut in the 86th minute, making him the youngest player in the 05s at the age of 17.

Neither the youngster nor Karim Onisiwo’s crossbar hit in injury time could change anything about his club’s defeat. Mainz suffered a 2-1 defeat in Freiburg. It is the sixth game in a row without a defeat for the sports club. Coach Streich’s team is now second in the table, level on points with leaders Union Berlin. Freiburg has to go to Hertha BSC in Berlin on the next match day, Mainz 05 then has RB Leipzig as guests.