SC Freiburg took the lead for the fourth time on match day 4 of the Bundesliga. That was enough to win against VfL Bochum. But the story of the game was different.
SC Freiburg won 1-0 (0-0) against VfL Bochum at the start of the 4th matchday in the Bundesliga on Friday evening (08/26/22). Freiburg is now second in the table. Scored the winning goal Vincenzo Grifo in the 49th minute – you won’t soon forget this goal.
After Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann tugged at Freiburg’s Rolland Sallai, referee Marco Fritz allowed the ball to continue – but later awarded a penalty after watching the scene again on the screen.
Penalty for Freiburg, that’s a thing for Grifo. He actually always hits from the point. Grifo had previously started from eleven meters thirteen times in the Bundesliga, only once did he not aim well. Bochum’s Riemann has now ruined Grifo’s statistics, but he will be able to get over it.
When Grifo fired, Riemann was in the right corner and saved. Grifo got the ball again, this time he headed it, only the result was identical: no goal, Riemann was in the way. The duel wasn’t over yet. The rebound landed at Grifo again, this time Bochum’s goalkeeper was powerless.
Gregoritsch, Sallai, Höfler – they all fail because of Bochum’s Riemann
In general, Riemann played a very strong game, apart from the scene that led to the penalty. Once, in the 22nd minute, Riemann first saved a shot from Michael Gregoritsch and then the follow-up shot from Roland Sallai. Freiburg still had one try, it was the third, but Nicolas Höfler put the ball to the right of the goal.
Actually, that had to be the lead for Freiburg – coach Christian Streich also looked somewhat stunned on the sidelines. He was later seen looking similarly again when Riemann parried a Gregoritsch header which then hit the post. And then Grifo headed into Riemann’s arms (73′).
Four aluminum
But this game also wrote other stories, not all of which were about the strong yet unfortunate goalkeeper Riemann. Both teams hit the post and crossbar four times in the second half, in this discipline the score was 2:2.
There was Gregoritsch and later Nils Petersen, who shot from the edge of the box but only hit the crossbar (81′). And Bochum’s Gerrit Holtmann hit the post with a long-range shot in the 65th minute and a good twenty minutes later the crossbar.
Freiburg in Leverkusen, Bochum against Werder
At the end, when referee Fritz blew the whistle, goalkeeper Riemann sank onto the pitch, his gloves in front of his face. VfL Bochum had played well, at least one point would have been possible. But the reality is different: four games, zero points, 18th place.
The Bochumers have the opportunity to make amends next Saturday (September 3rd), when VfL is challenged against Werder Bremen. SC Freiburg competes in Leverkusen at the same time.