After conceding late on, SC threw everything they had into attack, with goalkeeper Mark Flekken even joining in on late push to try to secure a spot in the Champions League. The 2-1 defeat saw Freiburg end the season in sixth place, as they have qualified for the Europa League.

“Our formation was well-organised and we did well against the ball. However, we weren’t precise enough when we were in possession and were at fault for the goal that allowed them to take the lead,” Christian Streich said after the game. “We then got the news that Bielefeld were leading, which gave us the energy we needed, as did the substitutions we made. After the equaliser, it was tough, because we threw everything forward. We have finished sixth – my compliments to the team, as they gave it everything and delivered very consistent performances this season.”

Different situations

Freiburg and Leverkusen went into the match in front of a sold-out crowd at the BayArena in two very different situations. While the hosts had already sealed Champions League qualification, Freiburg fans had to wait for the result of today’s match to determine whether they would get to follow their team in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League next season. Ahead of the game, the hosts unveiled a large-scale tifo and custom T-shirts to say farewell to director of sport, Rudi Völler.

SC went with an unchanged team following last weekend’s 4-1 loss to Union Berlin, as Bayer head coach Gerardo Seoane made five changes to his team. Andrey Lunev, Daley Sinkgraven, Julian Baumgartlinger, Exequiel Palacios and Lucas Alario started in place of Lukas Hradecky, Piero Hincapie, Robert Andrich, Serdar Azmoun and Charles Aránguiz.

No goals in the first half

Leverkusen dominated possession in the opening minutes, trying to break through the Freiburg backline, which had proven unusually leaky in recent matches. Today, though, our defence did well to plug any gaps and were waiting for the hosts to slip up before going on the counter themselves.

SC’s first chances came from crosses from Lukas Kübler and Vincenzo Grifo, with Nico Schlotterbeck getting on the end of both, but unable to make the most of his headers (10’, 14’). Lucas Höler was unlucky to send a header crashing on to the post in the 20th minute.

The first clear-cut chance of the match fell to the hosts, as Patrik Schick popped up at the back post to send a header wide of the target (36’).

Freiburg came close just before the break, as Grifo curled in a shot from the edge of the box that sailed just past the corner of the goal (43’). The two teams went into the dressing room with the scoreline still deadlocked at 0-0.

Alario scores first

Leverkusen didn’t need long after the break to open the scoring, as Schick won the ball off Schlotterbeck before squaring it to Lucas Alario in front of goal. The Argentine made the most of the opportunity he had been given, sending the ball into the back of an empty net (53’).

Five minutes later, Flekken came up with several crucial saves. First, he showcased his lightning-fast reflexes before getting a helping hand from the crossbar to deny Schick. A few minutes later, he was able to parry a shot from Paulinho (58’, 63’).

After going 1-nil down, Freiburg switched over to a more attacking formation. The switch nearly paid off instantly as Philipp Lienhart got on the end of a corner, but his header went wide of goal (71’).

Wild end to the game

Streich had made use of all of his substitutions as the clock ticked over into the final 10 minutes of play, having gone on the attack against a very defensive Leverkusen side. Janik Haberer, in what was his final league game for SC, was able to net the equaliser late on (88’). Based on the current state of results elsewhere in the league, a second goal would have been enough for SC to qualify for the Champions League. The team continued to press hard in the closing minutes, with substitutes Johnny Schmid, Nils Petersen and Janik Haberer all coming close.

Instead, it was the hosts who would find the back of the net again. Flekken went up to provide an extra body in attack on a free kick, but Leverkusen were able to go on the counter and score the winner through Exequiel Palacios (90’+7).

However, the season isn’t over just yet for SC. Next Saturday, Christian Streich’s team will have the chance to win the first national title in the club’s history as they face Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal final.

Photo: Bernd Thissen