SC Freiburg hit the woodwork an astonishing four times on Saturday evening and it was a bridge too far as our first ever DFB-Pokal final ended in defeat after a penalty shootout. Ermedin Demirovic was unfortunate to hit the bar with our fourth and decisive spot kick after captain Christian Günter had fired over. RB Leipzig were the team to lift the 2022 DFB-Pokal.

"It was a superb first half," said  Christian Streich after the final whistle. "The lads did outstandingly well and were right in the game. Then came the red card. You're leading 1-0, then you have an extra man and maybe one or two players were thinking to themselves that they didn't want to make a mistake. Then came the equaliser and in extra time one or two passes that were overhit - and we hit the post or the bar three times. Leipzig took their penalties well in the shootout; two of ours weren't so good which was a shame. But I must also say that I'm not going to complain. It's crazy what we saw here tonight; the support, with so many fans from Freiburg and elsewhere here in Berlin. That was just fantastic, even if I might get upset about how the game went tomorrow or the day after."

Around 30,000 Freiburg fans at the Olympiastadion

The Olympiastadion was a sight to behold ahead of kick-off. The east stand was home to the 30,000 Freiburg fans who made the trip to Berlin, all decked out in red and sporting the message: "Unique club – you are just as football should be".

And so began the final match of 2021/22, and the most important match in the history of Sport-Club Freiburg. Head coach Christian Streich made one alteration to the team that was beaten by Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, switching to a back three to try and counter Leipzig’s attacking strength. Manuel Gulde was selected in the heart of defence as Wooyeong Jeong dropped out of the starting XI. RB Leipzig also made one change as Angeliño made way for Lukas Klostermann at left wing-back.

Eggestein opens the scoring

Cup finals can sometimes evolve into disappointing affairs, but right from the off it was clear that this would not be the case this evening. The game was played at a terrific pace and the spectacle was certainly befitting of such an occasion. Against a steady beat from the stands of the Olympiastadion, it was Leipzig who had the first real opportunity after a few Freiburg set pieces had come to nothing. Coming inside from the left, Emil Forsberg fired an attempt on target. Mark Flekken parried away to the waiting Christopher Nkunku and the defenders in red came to their ‘keepers aide to block the Frenchman’s effort on the rebound (14’).

Soon after, it was the red half of the stadium that was sent into raptures. A cross came in from the left and the Leipzig defence only managed to clear it as far as Maxi Eggestein, who strode toward the ball and caressed it into the bottom left corner with his first touch (19’). A wonderful strike, and the Breisgauer had the lead in the cup final! The goal was confirmed after a brief VAR check and the Freiburg fans were allowed to enjoy a moment 118 years in the making.

The players, however, had to remain focused, and that concentration was tested just a few breathless moments later. Nkunku latched onto a mistake from a man in red and beat Flekken with a volley from close range. The ball seemed destined to restore parity, but Nico Schlotterbeck had other ideas. Reading the play perfectly, the centre-half came in with a spectacular goal-line clearance and hooked the ball away to safety with a decisive swing of his right boot (24’). Schlotterbeck punched the air and rightly celebrated the clearance just as much as any goal.

Though Freiburg continued to win the lion’s share of the challenges, Leipzig had further chances as the half progressed. Flekken got down well to deny Willi Orban’s stike from distance (35’) and Schlotterbeck got a foot in at the last to snuff out the danger of a lurking Andre Silva (43’). Freiburg’s number four was imperious throughout the first half as he won seemingly every aerial ball that came into the Freiburg penalty area. Vincenzo Grifo had the chance to double the lead in injury time but Willi Orban was there to get his head in the way of the Italian’s volleyed effort. With that, Freiburg headed to the dressing room holding a precious 1-0 lead.

Leipzig equalise with ten men

The teams came back out unchanged and there was an early scare for the side in front. Nkunku pivoted in the box, turning and striking the ball only to see his effort saved by Flekken (50’). Freiburg remained a goal to the good, and they would soon be a man to the good as well. A long punt upfield was aimed for Lucas Höler, who spun in behind his marker Marcel Halstenberg on the halfway line. Höler was through and racing towards goal. Halstenberg gave chase but was unable to catch the Freiburg forward, instead pulling him back by the shoulder. It was a clear foul and the referee didn’t hesitate to give Halstenberg his marching orders as the Leipzig defender was the last man (57’). The resulting free-kick rippled the side-netting in another scare for Leipzig (58’).

Freiburg used the man advantage to take control of possession. Leipzig struggled to control the ball, and when they did find themselves with an opportunity to counter they were denied yet again by Schlotterbeck who came steaming in with a beautifully-timed slide tackle (72’). The Freiburg end of the Olympiastadion remained incessant in their singing and chanting as they continued to support their boys’ efforts.

Yet there was to be an unfortunate twist before the full-time whistle. Freiburg blocked a Leipzig free-kick but failed to deal with the second ball. It came looping in towards Nkunku at the back stick and the Frenchman was cool enough to guide it home (76’). The final was all square with fifteen massive minutes to go. Streich reacted with a double change, sending on Nils Petersen and Ermedin Demirović to bolster the attacking ranks. With eight minutes to play, there was a real scare for Freiburg. Another set-piece came in and there was a mix-up in the middle. Flekken missed the first effort before saving a follow-up attempt, before a desperate scramble in the box lead to a Freiburg free-kick – but only after a nervy VAR penalty check for handball (82’).

At the other end, Demirović had a header saved by Péter Gulácsi (84’) before Leipzig fired an effort of their own just wide of the post (85’). Janik Haberer and Jonathan Schmid entered the fray for Freiburg with five minutes to go. The game was destined for an extra half hour, though, as the final headed to extra time still level at 1-1.

Woodwork, woodwork, woodwork

The opening minutes of the additional thirty showed plenty of promise for Freiburg. One corner saw a header come back off the upright (92’) and a second found the gloves of Gulácsi. Petersen then broke free in the box, striking with his left foot but seeing the shot blocked (94’). A sharp attack for Leipzig saw Nordi Mukiele’s ball flash across the face of goal with Nkunku stretching and failing to make any contact (101’); a similar move for Freiburg then saw an equally appetising cross go begging (103’).

Demirović then had the best opportunity of the period. Gulácsi made an unbelievable fingertip save to divert a good shot onto the post and the rebound fell to the Bosnian who could only sky the ball over with the goal at his mercy (104’). A let-off for Leipzig, who immediately went down the other end only to be denied by another last-gasp challenge by Schlotterbeck (105’). With that, a frantic and entertaining first period of extra time came to a close.

Gulde made way for Keven Schlotterbeck as the final 15 minutes of the season got underway. A Grifo free-kick was deflected over (109’) and Schmid saw an effort blocked from the right (111’). The procession of Freiburg corners led to a break and a free-kick for Leipzig which Flekken was able to corral comfortably (114’). There was to be one more chance for Freiburg; Haberer let fly with a vicious dipping volley from 25 yards which crashed against the crossbar (115’). The midfielder’s luck was out in what would prove a bad omen for the Breisgauer.

There was one final incident of not as Dani Olmo, a second-half substitute, was was brought down by the outstretched leg of Nicolas Höfler. The Spaniard hit the deck and a long, gut-wrenching VAR check followed (120’). No penalty was the verdict, and with that the game was headed for a shootout.

More misfortune in the lottery

Nkunku took first in front of the Leipzig end, smashing into the top left before Petersen made it 1-1 with a cool finish into the bottom corner. Orban followed suit before the captain Christian Günter stepped up. There was heartbreak for the skipper as he smashed his penalty over the bar. Olmo clinically made the most of the opportunity with a finish into the top left. Schlotterbeck put it in the same spot as Olmo to beat Gulácsi and make it 3-2 after three penalties apiece. Benjamin Henrichs put Leipzig one kick away and the pressure told at the last. Demirović stepped up to take the fourth Freiburg penalty and was cruelly denied by the woodwork. The ball came back off the bar and with that, the trophy belonged to RB Leipzig

A medical emergency delayed the medal presentations, with the emergency response teams reacting brilliantly to ensure that the person affected returned to a stable condition. After receiving their silver medals, Streich and co. thank the fans once more and said goodbye ahead of the summer break. New challenges loom on the horizon in 2022/23 as SC Freiburg fight it out in the Europa League as well as on the domestic front once more.

Photo: Achim Keller