SC win 2-1 in Bremen with record 1,000th Bundesliga goal

Going into Sunday’s game against Werder, there were two milestones that SC Freiburg had the potential to break. Not only were the club just one goal shy of netting their 1,000th goal in the top flight, a win would also be enough to surpass Karlsruher SC and move into 19th in the league’s all-time rankings.

Michael Gregoritsch did not travel to Bremen due to a knock, with Roland Sallai replacing him in the starting XI. Lukas Kübler also came into the side for Kiliann Sildillia. SC began in a 3-4-3, with Vincenzo Grifo, Lucas Höler and Sallai in attack.

Werder, meanwhile, were without top goalscorer Niclas Füllkrug this weekend. He was replaced by former Freiburg man Maximilian Philipp, who joined the club on loan from Wolfsburg over the winter. Head coach Ole Werner made no other changes to the side that had snatched a late equaliser in Mainz last weekend (2-2).

No goals in the first half

SC started well, winning a free kick from a promising position in the opening minutes. Grifo wasn’t able to make the most of the opportunity, however, sending his attempt into the wall (7’). Werder won two corners in the opening 10 minutes, but neither amounted to much. A lively first half also saw referee Florian Badstübner hand out two yellow cards, one for each team.

The hosts then began to take control of the game, with SC making several errors in their build-up play. Christian Streich’s men then came close in the 27th minute, as goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka parried a free-kick from Grifo, with Sallai just missing the target on the rebound.

Both teams were fighting hard, but struggled to create chances on goal. The final shot of the half belonged to Marvin Ducksch, but his shot from range lacked precision. The teams headed into the dressing room with the score still deadlocked. “We didn’t play well in the first half. There were a lot of one-on-ones. Overall, there wasn’t a lot going on on the pitch,” Streich said afterwards.

Philipp scores

The hosts then took the lead immediately after the restart. While Grifo was appealing for a handball in the box, Werder won the ball and countered immediately. Philipp was in the right place to tap in a pass from Leonardo Bittencourt to open the scoring (46’). “We didn’t switch over because we thought we’d get a penalty. They then did well to complete the move,” Streich said, showing his frustration over the manner in which the team conceded.

Freiburg had a massive chance to equalise just four minutes later, as Pavlenka got a hand to a cross from Höler, which then dropped to Sallai’s feet. The striker wasn’t able to get enough on the ball to get it over the line (50’).

Despite an improved performance from SC, the chances continued to fall for the hosts. Philipp nearly netted an acrobatic second goal in the 61st minute, but his powerful effort was kept out by Mark Flekken.

Sallai and Höler overturn the deficit

Minutes later, Sallai would score Freiburg’s record 1,000th Bundesliga goal with a sensational one-time effort following a headed on cross from Höler (67’).

Shortly after, Höler would turn from provider to goalscorer, heading in SC’s second goal following a cross from Sallai, with a little help from the post (71’). “The game really opened up in the second half. After conceding, we immediately had a chance to equalise. We then looked to attack and played much, much better than in the first half. Both goals were superb. Not everyone is capable of overturning a deficit in Bremen,” Streich said in praise of his side’s performance.

Ole Werner reacted to his side going behind with five substitutions in the span of eight minutes. Eren Dinkci came close late on, but didn’t find the target (84’). Knowing full well of Werder’s penchant for scoring late goals, SC delivered a hard-fought performance in the final six minutes of injury time to see the result over the line. The final chance of the game would belong to Wooyeong Jeong from a counter-attack, before Badstübner signalled the end of the match.

With the win, SC move to 50 points for the season and continue to fight for a Champions League spot. Next Sunday, Streich’s side will host FC Schalke 04 at the Europa-Park Stadion (15:30 CEST).

Photo: Focke Strangmann