Stable and dominant
Thanks to a gala performance against FK TSC Backa Topola from Serbia, SC Freiburg will winter on the European stage for the second time in a row. The Breisgauers achieved the “big goal” set by coach Christian Streich early on Thursday with a 5-0 (1-0) win in the Europa League. With nine points after four matchdays in Group A, Freiburg have the best chance of winning the group and qualifying directly for the round of 16 – the intermediate round of the lower-class Conference League is already certain.
Against the guests, who celebrated their runner-up finish in their homeland last season, the SC implemented much of what their coach had hoped for in advance. The defense was more stable again after conceding six goals in two competitive games. At the front, Merlin Röhl (24th minute), Maximilian Eggestein (56th), Noah Weißhaupt (69th), Junior Adamu (80th) and Ritsu Doan (90th + 2) took care of things in front of 31,700 spectators after two home games without a win in the DFB. Cup and in the league again for a sense of achievement and the Breisgauer’s biggest win in the European Cup.
As with the 3-1 away win in the first leg and the cup exit against second division team SC Paderborn (1:3), Streich relied on a three-man chain, which was hardly required by the harmless guests. With the exception of a back pass from Matthias Ginter to goalkeeper Noah Atubolu, who was in trouble right from the start, there was no danger in front of the hosts’ goal in the first half. Topola had a lot of trouble even crossing the center line.
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The SC controlled the game and could have taken the lead early through Lucas Höler (4th). The dominance was also expressed in numbers. After just nine minutes, Freiburg already had six corners and almost 70 percent possession of the ball. But they had to be patient until Röhl’s first goal for the sports club’s professionals.
Even after taking the lead, Freiburg continued to apply pressure. The eye-catching Röhl missed the 2-0 with a shot that hit the post (38th). Nevertheless, the injured Maximilian Philipp was satisfied with the performance of his teammates during the break, “even if there could have been one or two more goals,” he said in the “RTL” interview.
The Freiburg team apparently took Philipp’s words to heart and increased their efficiency. Eggestein, Weißhaupt, Adamu and Doan eliminated the last doubts. With new self-confidence, Streich and Co. will now face the DFB Cup winners RB Leipzig on Sunday (7.30 p.m./DAZN) in order to get back on track in the league.
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