Philipp scores late: SC Freiburg fights for victory at Olympiakos

Europe League

Thanks to a late joker goal from Maximilian Philipp, SC Freiburg secured the victory they were hoping for at the start of the new Europa League season. The Baden team won their first group game at Olympiacos Piraeus on Thursday with 3:2 (2:1). Roland Sallai (9th minute), Vincenzo Grifo with a penalty kick (45th + 7th) and Philipp (86th), who had been substituted ten minutes earlier, scored for coach Christian Streich’s team, which has recently lost twice in the Bundesliga. Ayoub El Kaabi (40th/75th) scored both goals for the Greek record champions.

In the expectedly heated atmosphere of the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, an at times wild game developed. SC captain Grifo made a serious mistake in his own penalty area after just five minutes, but teammate Matthias Ginter ironed it out and cleared El Kaabi’s shot off the line. Shortly later, Nicolas Freire played a back pass that was far too short on the other side, Freiburg’s Sallai grabbed the ball and sank it coolly into the left corner. In the 18th minute, an arm use in a duel with Santiago Hezze had no consequences for the Hungarian, but his opponent had to be replaced due to an injury.

Freiburg tried to maintain control, but they couldn’t really close down their left side defensively. Olympiacos captain Konstantinos Fortounis hit the crossbar with a corner (26′), then El Kaabi flicked the ball over the line after a cross into the six-yard box to make it 1-1. Another bad mistake – this time from Freiburg’s U21 international Kenneth Schmidt – almost gave the Greeks the lead, but goalkeeper Noah Atubolu made the save (45+3).

Immediately before the break, Paniagotis Retsos fouled Freiburg’s agile offensive man Ritsu Doan in the hosts’ penalty area, and Grifo converted the penalty flatly and safely.

Wirtz in front: The most valuable players in the Europa League 2023/24

19. James Ward-Prowse – West Ham – Market value: €38m

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Data as of September 21, 2023

19. Jarrod Bowen – West Ham – Market value: €38m

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18. Ibrahima Konaté – Liverpool – Market value: €38m

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11. Andrew Robertson – Liverpool – Market value: €40m

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11. Romelu Lukaku – Roma – Market value: €40m

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11. Tammy Abraham – Roma – Market value: €40 million

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11. Mohammed Kudus – West Ham – Market value: €40m

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11. Jeremie Frimpong – Bayer Leverkusen – Market value: €40 million

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11. Yéremi Pino – Villarreal – Market value: €40 million

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11. Giorgio Scalvini – Atalanta – Market value: €40 million

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10. Lucas Paquetá – West Ham – Market value: €45m

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8. Diogo Jota – Liverpool – Market value: €50m

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8. Dominik Szoboszlai – Liverpool – Market value: €50m

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7. Cody Gakpo – Liverpool – Market value: €55 million

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3. Mohamed Salah – Liverpool – Market value: €65m

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3. Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool – Market value: €65m

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3. Darwin Nuñez – Liverpool – Market value: €65m

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3. Alexis Mac Allister – Liverpool – Market value: €65m

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2. Luis Díaz – Liverpool – Market value: €75m

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1. Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen – market value: €85 million

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There were also slight mistakes here and there in the second half – one by SC keeper Atubolu, who hadn’t always looked confident in the league recently, was unable to be capitalized on by Vicente Iborra (48′). Later, the eye-catching El Kaabi was there for another cross from Fortounis – and Atubolu was powerless at 2-2. But the SC struck back again through Philipp after a corner.

Last season, Freiburg won their first Europa League away game in Piraeus and then made it to the round of 16. This time, however, they found it much more difficult than in the confident 3-0 victory a little over a year ago.

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