SC Freiburg secured a second consecutive Bundesliga away win after Michael Gregoritsch’s 74th-minute goal saw them over the line against VfL Wolfsburg, in a game where chances were few and far between.
SCF only managed four attempts on goal in 95 minutes’ play at the Volkswagen Arena. They were able to emerge victors thanks to a Roland Sallai cross which was then flicked on by Matthias Ginter, Merlin Röhl and Kilian Sildillia, eventually finding Michael Gregoritsch, who volleyed home.
“We dominated for long periods of the game and then decided to play 4-3-3, something which we haven’t done in ages. We weren’t good enough in possession, but that was partly due to Wolfsburg’s strong rest defence,” Christian Streich gave his thoughts on the game post-match. “In the second half, we weren’t good enough on the counterattack. We did, however, do well in terms of not allowing them many big chances. We’re fortunate to have won, but to have been able to do that is a huge compliment to the lads and attests to the willingness they put in every week.”
The only change to last week’s line-up saw Noah Weißhaupt, who missed today’s game with an illness, replaced by Vincenzo Grifo, who sat out of the win against Mainz.
After a late defeat against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the DFB-Pokal in the week, Niko Kovač had to make changes to accommodate for the absence of Rogério and Tiago Tomas, as Ridle Baku and Mattias Svanberg came into the side. Lovro Majer also took the place of Aster Vranckx.
Wedding bells ring before the game’s first whistle
Despite a pre-match wedding proposal instilling a romantic atmosphere at the Volkswagen Arena, there was certainly no space for niceties at the beginning of this Bundesliga matchday 14 fixture. SCF pressed their hosts from the start, which saw them win back the ball on several occasions, but they were also extremely fortunate to not have gone behind early on. In just the third minute, the home fans thought they were about to have a goal to cheer about, but Mattias Svanberg’s effort from 12 yards after he was played through nicely by Jonas Wind only found the woodwork.
The home said let their visitors have the ball at first, opting for a counterpress-based defensive tactic. SC responded by making very few mistakes in their build-up play and staying solid at the back, which resulted in Noah Atubolu’s goal hardly being threatened by VfL.
At the other end, Matthias Ginter had a big chance to make it 1-0 from a corner. After his first cross was blocked, Vincenzo Grifo put in a fierce cross at the second attempt, and the centre-back chested it down before volleying high above Koen Casteel’s goal on the turn (20’).
Wolfsburg grow into the game
We then came even closer to seeing the first goal of the game three minutes later, albeit at the other side of the pitch. Left alone in the six-yard box, Lovro Majer was played the ball, but somehow managed to scoop it over the bar under no pressure.
If the first 20 minutes of the game belonged to the away side, besides the hosts’ two big chances, the midway point of the first half would see the game lose a bit of momentum. The Wolves began to play a much more active role in the game, and SCF stopped pressing so high, so as to not leave Wolfsburg space in behind.
As a result, not much took place in the form of chances before half time, with the exception of a chance for Michael Gregoritsch from a Doan corner. It was therefore 0-0 at the break.
The Wolves made the brighter start to the second half. Freiburg were making more mistakes on the ball, which often had to be ironed out by foul play. Christian Streich made an appropriate reaction and decided for some early substitutions, bringing Roland Sallai and Lucas Höler on for Ritsu Doan and Vincenzo Grifo at the hour mark.
Chances on goal remained a rarity. By the 70-minute mark, the only opportunities of such sort took the form of a Wolfsburg effort which found the side netting (53’) and another from a free kick, which sailed high over Noah Atubolu’s goal (67’).
Gregoritsch scores the decisive goal
SCF’s first chance of note in the second half came just fifteen minutes before the final whistle, but they certainly took it well. Matthias Ginter nodded on Roland Sallai’s cross from a free kick towards the far post, and Merlin Röhl and Kiliann Sildillia flicked it on into the path of the free-standing Michael Gregoritsch. The Austrian had no problem in volleying the ball into the net on his weaker right foot, as he gave the away side a fortunate lead.
SCF worked hard to protect the 1-0 lead in the final minutes of the game. Despite Nico Kovac’s side creating the odd chance, including a decent opportunity which ended up having been started by an offside Sebastiaan Bornauw, Freiburg’s third win in a row in all competitions was comfortably seen out. “The lads’ mentality and attitude are immense,” Christian Streich was pleased with his side’s effort. Now on 21 points from 14 games, the players soaked up the applause of the 1,000-strong travelling support.
Freiburg’s next challenge comes on Thursday, on matchday 6 of the Europa League group stage. SCF face West Ham United at the Olympic Stadium in London (21:00 CET) as they look to win the group and qualify automatically for the round of 16.
Photo: Fabian Bimmer
