An early red card, a dream goal from Manzambi, and a completely unexpected brace secured Freiburg’s historic journey to the final.
Even before the final whistle, the Freiburg faithful ascended from the stands. Once the historic progression to the final was confirmed, there was no holding back: the Sport-Club’s Eurocup heroes formed a massive celebratory huddle, coach Julian Schuster couldn’t hold back tears, and the fans stormed the pitch to celebrate together. SC Freiburg has reached its dream destination, Istanbul – and is on the verge of completing its European fairy tale!
The Breisgau team defeated Sporting Braga 3-1 (2-0) in the Europa League semi-final second leg, overturning their 1-2 deficit from the first leg. They will now play in their first-ever European Cup final on May 20th in the Turkish metropolis. Only Aston Villa stands in their way of achieving their coveted historic title.
«I’ve lost my voice from all the shouting,» Matthias Ginter told RTL. «We just need to take that final step. We now have the most important match in the club’s history. This is unique for Freiburg.»
Meanwhile, Vincenzo Grifo felt the immense pressure lift. «It’s simply outstanding. This team, this club, this city truly deserves to be in the final. What we’ve achieved in recent years…» said the 33-year-old, grinning. «If we’re allowed to, we’ll definitely celebrate. We won’t get much sleep tonight. But you can perform with little sleep on Sunday too.» Then, an away match against Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga awaits.
SC Freiburg Maximizes Their Man Advantage
Goals from Lukas Kübler (19′, 72′) and Johan Manzambi (41′) ignited unbridled joy among the Freiburg players. Pau Victor scored for Braga (79′), who had to play almost the entire match with a numerical disadvantage after Mario Dorgeles received a red card early on (6′). Schuster’s team relied on their formidable home strength, as the Sport-Club has won all seven of their home games in this Europa League season.
«We know what we can do,» emphasized Freiburg’s goalkeeper Noah Atubolu before the match on RTL, predicting a «battle.» However, SC had to do without Yuito Suzuki. The Japanese player had suffered a fractured right collarbone in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. In place of the dynamic difference-maker, Schuster fielded veteran Nicolas Höfler in the starting lineup.
Fueled by the loud chants of their own fans, Freiburg immediately took control on the pitch – and found themselves with a man advantage after just six minutes: Dorgeles, who had scored the winning goal for Braga in added time of the first leg, brought down Jan-Niklas Beste, who was running towards goal alone, and was shown a straight red card by referee Davide Massa for the professional foul.
Braga, instead of launching offensive actions, resorted to time-wasting tactics, and the pressure from Freiburg continued to mount – the lead was a logical consequence. Kübler sent a poorly cleared cross towards the Portuguese goal, the ball ricocheted back and forth between the right-back and an opponent, eventually finding its way into the net.
Freiburg continued to deny Braga any breathing room, playing with deliberation and patience in their build-up play – and extended their lead: Manzambi cut inside from the left flank and placed the ball into the right corner from about 20 meters. The deficit from the first leg was now overturned, although Freiburg also had a stroke of luck just before halftime with Victor Gomez hitting the post (45’+1).
At the start of the second half, the Sport-Club pushed for a decisive goal: Vincenzo Grifo hit the outside of the post (47′), Matthias Ginter’s low shot went just wide of the goal (49′), and Braga’s goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek pushed Manzambi’s shot around the post (53′).
However, in front of 33,700 spectators, including former national coach Joachim Löw, Braga did not give up: Jean-Baptiste Gorby (58′) and Joao Moutinho missed chances to equalize (69′). Kübler then extended the lead with a header, before Braga managed to make things tense once again.
English Translation
An early red card, a spectacular goal from Manzambi, and a completely unexpected brace make Freiburg’s dream a reality.
Even before the final whistle, the Freiburg supporters climbed from the stands. Once the historic progression to the final was sealed, there was no stopping them: the Sport-Club’s Eurocup heroes formed a massive jubilant cluster, coach Julian Schuster couldn’t hold back his tears, and the fans stormed the pitch to celebrate together. SC Freiburg has reached its dream destination, Istanbul – and is on the verge of completing its European fairy tale!
The Breisgau team defeated Sporting Braga 3-1 (2-0) in the Europa League semi-final second leg, thus overturning their 1-2 deficit from the first leg. They will now compete in their first-ever European Cup final on May 20th in the Turkish metropolis. Only Aston Villa now stands in their way of achieving the coveted historic title.
«I’ve completely lost my voice from all the shouting,» Matthias Ginter told RTL. «We simply have to take that final step. We now have the most important match in the club’s history. This is unique for Freiburg.»
Meanwhile, Vincenzo Grifo felt a wave of relief wash over him. «It’s just outstanding. This team, this club, this city truly deserves to be in the final. What we’ve achieved in the last few years…» said the 33-year-old, grinning. «If we’re allowed to, we’ll definitely celebrate. We won’t get much sleep tonight. But you can still perform on Sunday with little sleep.» An away game against Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga awaits then.
SC Freiburg Makes the Most of Their Numerical Advantage
Goals from Lukas Kübler (19′, 72′) and Johan Manzambi (41′) brought immense joy to the Freiburg camp. Pau Victor scored for Braga (79′), who had to play almost the entire match with ten men after Mario Dorgeles received a red card early on (6′). Schuster’s team could rely on their strong home form; the Sport-Club has won all seven of their home matches in this Europa League season.
«We know what we’re capable of,» Freiburg’s goalkeeper Noah Atubolu emphasized before the match on RTL, predicting a «battle.» However, SC had to contend with the absence of Yuito Suzuki. The Japanese player had suffered a fractured right collarbone in the 1-1 draw against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday. In place of the agile, influential player, Schuster fielded veteran Nicolas Höfler in the starting lineup.
Urged on by the loud chants of their own fans, Freiburg immediately took control on the pitch – and found themselves with a man advantage after just six minutes: Dorgeles, who had scored the winning goal for Braga in the first leg’s stoppage time, fouled Jan-Niklas Beste, who was running towards goal alone, and was shown a straight red card by referee Davide Massa for the denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
Braga subsequently resorted to time-wasting instead of offensive actions, and the pressure from Freiburg continued to build – the lead was therefore deserved. Kübler sent a weakly cleared cross towards the Portuguese goal; the ball ricocheted between the right-back and an opponent before eventually finding the back of the net.
Freiburg continued to give Braga no room to breathe, playing with calculated patience in their build-up play – and extended their lead. Manzambi cut inside from the left flank and placed the ball into the right corner from approximately 20 meters. The deficit from the first leg was now overturned, though Freiburg also had a moment of luck just before the break when Victor Gomez hit the post (45’+1).
At the start of the second half, the Sport-Club pushed for a decisive moment. Vincenzo Grifo hit the post (47′), Matthias Ginter’s low shot narrowly missed the target (49′), and Braga’s goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek managed to save Manzambi’s shot from close range (53′).
However, in front of 33,700 spectators, including former national coach Joachim Löw, Braga did not give up. Jean-Baptiste Gorby (58′) and Joao Moutinho missed chances to pull one back (69′). Kübler then added a third with a header, before Braga managed to make things tense once again.