With the exception of Bruno Ogbus, who is carrying a knock, SCF had a fully fit squad to choose from after the three-week international window. Julian Schuster named the same starting XI for the third Bundesliga game in a row. This included eight players who had been away on international duty: Igor Matanovic, Derry Scherhant, Yuito Suzuki, Philipp Treu, Yannik Engelhardt, Philipp Lienhart, Jordy Makengo and Mio Backhaus.

Matanovic tested Loris Karius within seconds of kick-off, but the Schalke goalkeeper was equal to his effort. SC began on the front foot and got their reward in the tenth minute. Karius, who was making his 100th Bundesliga appearance, could only parry Matthias Ginter's header from a corner back into the danger area, where Maximilian Eggestein was on hand to turn home the rebound from close range.

Schalke, back in the Bundesliga after three years away, had made a respectable start to the season with one win, two draws and a defeat. The visitors, who named former Freiburg man Junior Adamu in their line-up, offered little going forward during the opening 20 minutes. SCF, meanwhile, went in search of a second goal, and Matanovic almost provided this in the 19th minute. Niklas Beste cleverly cut the ball back to the striker, whose first-time effort from around 12 yards was blocked by a Schalke defender.

Schalke hit back from a set piece

SC repeatedly caused problems with their pace on the counter, breaking quickly down both flanks after winning possession. Suzuki was a constant outlet on the right, while Scherhant and Makengo combined to good effect on the left. Schalke struggled to cope with Freiburg's quick transitions, with their midfielders regularly having to find ways to deal with the threat.

Yet despite struggling to get into the game, the visitors found an equaliser in the 30th minute. It came from a corner rather than open play. Backhaus punched the delivery away, before Adrian Gantenbein tried his luck with a first-time strike and drilled the ball low into the corner to make it 1-1. This was Schalke's first opportunity of the match.

The goal changed the complexion of the game. The Royal Blues grew in confidence and the contest became more even. SCF almost regained their lead when a move involving Eggestein and Engelhardt nearly resulted in an own goal, but Karius was alert to the danger (39'). The goalkeeper also denied Scherhant after a brilliant individual run saw the Freiburg winger beat three opponents on the edge of the area, only for his attempted cross to be intercepted by Karius.

SC reduced to ten men

The second half began with a superb move from Freiburg, starting deep inside their own half. Under pressure from Schalke, SC played their way out of trouble before Beste switched play to Suzuki, who slipped a perfectly weighted pass through the defence for Scherhant. Everything about the move had been excellent up to that point, but Scherhant took one touch too many as he tried to shift the ball onto his right foot, allowing a defender to intervene.

The visitors were now enjoying more possession, looking much more solid defensively and playing with far greater confidence than in the first half. Moussa Sylla had a shot turned behind on the hour mark, before Backhaus tipped a header from the resulting corner onto the crossbar. Schalke were handed another boost in the 65th minute, when Suzuki was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

Two substitutes combine for the winner

SC, though, did not play like they were a man down. They continued to break forward quickly and with purpose, repeatedly testing the Schalke defence. Clear-cut chances were few and far between at either end, however, until substitute Vincenzo Grifo tried his luck from distance in the 83rd minute. His effort had the Freiburg fans back on their feet – and, just two minutes later, they were celebrating the winning goal.

Grifo was involved again, this time delivering a superb cross towards the far post, where fellow substitute Keisuke Goto was waiting to head home and make it 2-1. SC defended superbly for the remainder of normal time and the five minutes of injury time, while Backhaus remained a reliable presence in goal. Freiburg even had a chance to add a third goal, but Cyriaque Irié's header went wide by a whisker.

The final whistle sparked wild celebrations as Freiburg not only recorded their third home win of the season, but returned to the top of the Bundesliga table. Julian Schuster was delighted with his players' character, embracing them enthusiastically in a mixture of joy and relief. “We knew Schalke were capable of getting back into the game at any moment, and that's exactly what happened. We'd prepared the lads for the fact that they'd need to show real character. After Yuito was sent off, the team stepped up for him. The players who came on did such a good job that you could barely tell we were a man down.”

Photo: SC Freiburg