45.
7:38 p.m
Half-time conclusion:
SC Freiburg leads 3-1 against Nice at the break. Even if the score doesn’t necessarily indicate it, it was an uneventful first half for a long time without many scenes in the goal area. As a result, the shocking number of flat balls were now the main topic. But after OGC’s opening goal in the 25th minute, things suddenly changed. The guests not only had the perfect answer with Manzambi’s equalizer, but they also really turned up the heat against the now unsettled French. As a result, they rewarded themselves with two more goals and turned the game in their favor. This means that the SC is clearly on course for a third three in the fourth match and would even jump to second place according to the current status.
45.
19:34
End of 1st half
45.
19:34
Two minutes are added in the first round. But not much happens here because Johan Manzambi is lying injured on the grass.
45.
19:32
Official injury time (minutes): 2
44.
7:31 p.m
Nice have lost their previous three Europa League games 2-1. Given the current situation, this series has already been broken. Of course, from OGC’s perspective, it doesn’t make the situation any better.
42.
19:28
Tooor for SC Freiburg, 1:3 by Derry Scherhant
Now Scherhant makes it 3:1! Suzuki brings the ball inside to Ginter from the left of the penalty area. With his back to the goal, the central defender deliberately sets up for Scherhant, who is better positioned. The 22-year-old shoots from the left eleven meters with his right and is actually aiming for the far corner. But Bah is in the firing lane and decisively deflects the shot into the near corner. Diouf is completely powerless because he was already on his way to the other side.
40.
19:26
Nice are now swimming tremendously and Freiburg are pushing for 3-1 before the break. Scherhant fails from a tight angle from the right in the box, but Diouf misses.
39.
19:26
Tooor for SC Freiburg, 1:2 by Vincenzo Grifo
Game turned! Vincenzo Grifo takes responsibility and transforms safely. The experienced Italian loads Yehvann Diouf and easily pushes the ball into the bottom left corner with his right hand.
37.
19:24
Penalty for SC Freiburg! As a result of the corner kick, the ball lands at Suzuki on the left side of the penalty area. The Japanese passes it past Bard, gratefully accepts the defender’s contact and falls due to his left leg. The referee doesn’t hesitate for a second and immediately points to the point.
36.
19:24
Double chance for Freiburg! After a little confusion in the OGC penalty area, the ball lands at Grifo on the left side of the penalty area. The SC captain aims directly at the far corner with a flick. Diouf makes himself very long and safely deflects to the side. But Scherhant is still lurking there. From a tight angle, the 22-year-old fails in the short corner because the fast-reacting keeper deflects the ball away for a corner.
35.
19:23
The way the two teams exploited their chances is really impressive. There were promising approaches to the goal on both sides. However, the only two clear opportunities both ended up in the net.
32.
19:21
The restart after Johan Manzambi’s first international goal has been delayed until now because the air pressure of the balls continues to cause problems. Anasthasios Sidiropoulos is only happy with the third ball he receives.
29.
7:16 p.m
Tooor for SC Freiburg, 1-1 by Johan Manzambi
Freiburg has the direct answer! The guests press high and are rewarded for it. Bard puts the ball too far forward on the left side of his own penalty area after a short goal kick. Suzuki intervenes, wins the ball and immediately passes it on to Manzambi. The young Swiss then moves a little bit to the right from the center of the box and makes an impressive and unsustainable shot at the top left of the crease.
27.
7:16 p.m
For Kevin Carlos it is the second goal in the current competition.
25.
19:11
Great for OGC Nice, 1-0 by Kevin Carlos
With the first really good chance, Nice takes the lead! Diop passes between the lines for Vanhoutte. He has a bit of space on the right in the SC half and sends Kevin Carlos, who is left alone, into the depths. From the right in the penalty area, the striker keeps his nerve and hits the ball powerfully to the left past the looming Atubolu and into the far corner. Freiburg were still hoping for an offside position, but that wasn’t the case because Scherhant was clearly too deep on the right defensive side.
23.
19:11
Abdul Samed puts Vanhoutte in the middle from the left corner of the penalty area. With the first contact, the Belgian takes the ball into the box and, under pressure, finishes with his left. However, the shot is too central to cause problems for Atubolu.
20.
7:08 p.m
Kübler makes a bad pass just inside his own half. Kevin Carlos, however, skips the ball a bit when he takes it forward. As a result, the attentive Ginter intervenes with a strong tackle and immediately irons out the mistake.
19.
7:07 p.m
Diop delicately circles the ball in front of the goal from the right half of the field. Atubolu breaks away from the line and safely punches the ball out of the danger zone in front of Abdi, who has taken off.
17.
7:05 p.m
The first quarter of an hour has already passed and not much has happened yet. Freiburg is the more active team and seems to have everything under control. The sports club still hasn’t had a really promising opportunity.
14.
19:02
1,500 fans made their way from the Black Forest to the south of France. However, the encounter seems to have little appeal among the home fans. At least the stands are surprisingly empty for an international match of significance.
11.
6:59 p.m
At the weekend, Nice almost secured a point against PSG. Today they are taking a much more offensive approach with changed personnel. Given their pointless record, they understandably shy away from taking big risks and initially concentrate on defensive work.
8.
18:56
Derry Scherhant gets stuck with a misplaced long-range shot from Yehvann Diouf, who reacts well. Afterwards, the ball has to be exchanged again because there’s probably not enough air again.
7.
18:54
Boga brings in the first corner kick of the game from the left side. Scherhant is in the right place at the front of the five and heads away the harmless cross.
5.
18:53
Ginter wants to clear a deep pass in his own penalty area with a freeing shot. In doing so, however, he shoots down the pressing Boga. The ball flips from his body towards the SC goal, but rolls a long way past the box to the left.
3.
6:50 p.m
Early curiosity: Anasthasios Sidiropoulos, the Greek referee, has the ball exchanged because the previous ball was probably too flat.
2.
6:50 p.m
They start off swinging. This means Johan Manzambi finishes after winning the ball high from the second row. The attempt is blocked by Antoine Mendy at the penalty area line.
1.
6:48 p.m
Let’s go! Since Nice are wearing red and black striped jerseys, Freiburg have to completely deviate from their usual colors and are playing completely in sky blue today.
1.
6:47 p.m
Game start
6:38 p.m
It is the first direct meeting between Nice and Freiburg. Given their current form in European competitions, the Breisgau team will certainly be the favorites in the race. After all, the French remained without a three-pointer in the Europa League league phase last season and have now been waiting for the longed-for three-pointer in 15 games in UEFA competitions.
18:34
In the Bundesliga, Freiburg are in a bit of a results crisis and have remained winless in their last five games. At first glance, the balance sheet sounds more dramatic than it is. After all, the sports club has only suffered one defeat across all competitions since September and collected five wins and one draw in eleven games during the period. Freiburg already has seven points in the Europa League and is one of the seven teams that are still unbeaten. Of course, Grifo and Co. want to continue this run today in order to take a big step towards the next round.
6:19 p.m
Things are not going well for Nice in the Europa League yet. The team from the French Riviera has not yet collected a point after three matches. They narrowly lost 2-1 against Rome, Fenerbahçe and Celta Vigo. As a result, they are only in 33rd place and already have a match of enormous importance ahead of them with a view to reaching the knockout phase. But with a threesome they could climb out of the bottom and possibly even move towards the playoff places.
6:09 p.m
Julian Schuster also made a good change after the 0-0 draw against 1. FC Union Berlin. With Philipp Lienhart, who was missing from the Bundesliga due to suspension, Lukas Kübler, Yuito Suzuki and Derry Scherhant, the 40-year-old brings four new ones into the starting line-up. Max Rosenfelder, Philipp Treu, Lucas Höler and Jan-Niklas Beste initially sit on the bench.
6:04 p.m
Nice hosted Paris Saint-Germain in the dress rehearsal and only narrowly lost 1-0 after conceding a goal in stoppage time. In comparison, Franck Haise rotates primarily on offense and makes five changes. Salis Abdul Samed, Charles Vanhoutte, Sofiane Diop, Kevin Carlos and Jérémie Boga start for Kojo Peprah Oppong, Tom Louchet, Hichem Boudaoui, Morgan Sanson and Isak Jansson.
5:45 p.m
Have a wonderful evening and welcome to the fourth matchday of the Europa League. OGC Nice welcomes SC Freiburg. The game kicks off at 6:45 p.m. in the Allianz Riviera.