For what was their ninth game in four weeks, Freiburg made four changes to the side that started in Trabzon in mid-week. Philipp Treu came in at right-back, while the coaching staff also reshuffled the attack behind Igor Matanovic, bringing Niklas Beste, Yuito Suzuki and Derry Scherhant into the starting XI.

Union head coach Mauro Lustrinelli was the most vocal figure on the touchline in the opening stages, clearly pleased with his side’s start. Julian Schuster and his assistant, meanwhile, were still making adjustments to Freiburg’s positioning. It wasn't long, though, before SC settled into the game and began looking for ways through Union’s compact defence.

Freiburg focused much of their attacking play down the left, putting the visitors under pressure. Jordy Makengo, who had kept world-class star Mo Salah quiet for much of the game in Trabzon, carried that confidence into this home fixture and was heavily involved going forward.

Union offer little going forward

Freiburg’s first chance came from the left in the eighth minute, when Scherhant delivered a free-kick towards the six-yard box and found Matanovic. His header was too central, however, and Union goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow gathered it comfortably. The visitors had their spells of possession but were primarily concerned with keeping things tight at the back, leaving Mio Backhaus with very little to do. At the other end, Scherhant went close with a low shot from 18 metres out following a counter-attack, while Matanovic threatened with another header. Freiburg repeatedly looked to pick out their striker with high balls into the box.

With Union offering so little attacking threat, the onus was on Freiburg to take control of the game, and they duly did so. The visitors sat deep in their own half, with even their most advanced player, Tim Skarke, spending much of his time behind the halfway line. As has often been the case, patience was required from SC. “That was exactly how we expected Union to play,” said Maximilian Eggestein afterwards. Schuster agreed, adding: “We had to be very patient, but we never lost confidence. We didn't create a huge number of chances, but we gave very little away ourselves.”

Another opportunity came from a set piece, although Rönnow had little trouble keeping out Scherhant’s free-kick from 20 metres out. The first real chance to break the deadlock arrived in the 37th minute, when Suzuki reacted quickly to Beste’s pass and fired a left-footed shot towards goal. Rönnow was equal to it, and the Union keeper produced an even better save five minutes later. Engelhardt’s cross picked out Matanovic, whose well-placed header looked destined for the bottom corner. Rönnow, however, got down brilliantly to turn the ball narrowly wide.

Freiburg take the lead after the break

The pattern of play remained unchanged after half time, with Freiburg continuing to dominate and most of their attacks coming down the left. Suzuki cut inside from that flank in the 52nd minute and sent a shot inches wide, but he played a decisive role in finally breaking the deadlock three minutes later. Beste supplied the ball from the right, and although Suzuki couldn't claim the goal himself, he put Khedira under enough pressure to force the Union midfielder to bundle the ball into his own net.

Rönnow, who had been outstanding for the visitors, was visibly frustrated by the unfortunate own goal, although Freiburg's lead was thoroughly deserved. Fifteen minutes later, Suzuki did get his name on the scoresheet. Scherhant won possession in his own half and launched a counter-attack, slipping a perfectly weighted pass through to the Japan international. Suzuki kept his composure and cleverly lifted the ball over Rönnow to make it 2-0 (67’).

“A good feeling”

Union began to show a little more attacking intent after falling behind, but still failed to seriously trouble Backhaus. Shortly after coming off the bench, Vincenzo Grifo had the chance to demonstrate his set-piece expertise, curling a free-kick from 20 metres narrowly wide in the 76th minute. Six minutes later, the 33-year-old stepped up to take a penalty after Suzuki had been fouled in the box. Rönnow, comfortably Union’s best player on the night, guessed correctly and made the save.

The closing stages passed without incident, with Union failing to create a single clear-cut chance throughout the 90 minutes. Freiburg rounded off their run of four consecutive weeks with midweek fixtures with a deserved home victory and head into the international break third in the Bundesliga after nine matchdays. Captain Eggestein and Backhaus were in agreement after the final whistle: “It’s nice to go into the international break with a win. It’s a good feeling.”

Photo: Achim Keller