First things first: the positives. Head coach Julian Schuster found words of encouragement immediately after the final whistle of the last-second defeat in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final: “We’re still feeling positive about the second leg. We have the quality to turn the game around with our fans behind us.”

The first leg of the semi-final took place in an impressive stadium, with a cliff face from an old quarry behind one goal, an open side behind the other, and two steep stands connected by steel cables. 2,000 SCF fans were determined not to miss out on experiencing both this special stadium and their club’s 50th competitive fixture of the season. After walking together from the city centre to the Estadio Municipal, they watched on as the hosts got off to a faster start in the clash. Pau Victor, who had a shot on the turn in the fifth minute of the match, had the first scoring opportunity of the encounter.

Early setback and a quick response

After rotating the side for their Bundesliga fixture against Bundesliga, four familiar faces returned to SCF’s starting XI for the clash against Braga in the form of Matthias Ginter, Jordy Makengo, Johan Manzambi and Yuito Suzuki. It was the same line-up that Freiburg fielded in their past two cup games – against VfB Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal, and Celta Vigo in the Europa League quarter-final. Noah Atubolu started between the sticks, but the shot-stopper was picking the ball out of the net in the eighth minute of the match. Demir Ege Tiknaz bagged an early opener for the Portuguese side with help from the woodwork.

Manzambi almost conjured up the perfect response directly after going behind. His shot from range in the eleventh minute ended up flying over the bar, though. Even so, it didn’t take long for SCF to get back in the game. In the 16th minute, referee Anthony Taylor played advantage after Matanovic was fouled in midfield, before which he had managed to play a ball through to Niklas Beste. There were acres of space for the 27-year-old to run into, and he used his vision to lay the ball off to Vincenzo Grifo who ultimately slotted in the equaliser for Freiburg.

“Defending against Braga was very demanding. We went behind early on, but it’s impressive how quickly we came back. Both sides gave it their all,” summarised Schuster after the game.

Matanovic on the ball

Just like the scoreline, the match was even after the 25th minute, with SC managing to more successfully bypass their opposition’s pressing, which had been especially impressive in the opening stages. The next big chance looked to be Freiburg’s, with Grifo standing over a free kick just after the half-an-hour mark. His effort didn’t trouble Braga keeper Lukas Hornicek, however, ultimately going well over the bar.

At the other end of the pitch, substitute Mario Dorgeles and Joao Moutinho had two further opportunities for the home side. During this phase of the match, the action was very back and forth, with the hosts having a slight edge, the Freiburg defence standing firm, and Matanovic looking alert to any danger, as he repeatedly anticipated the opposition’s passes and won the ball back. “Igor did well,” said Schuster in praise of the attacker.

“On point” Atubolu

In the 44th minute, the video assistant was called into action. According to VAR, Lienhart appeared to foul a Braga player following a corner. Taylor was sent to the pitch side monitor to review the incident and eventually pointed to the spot. Rodrigo Zalazar stepped up and opted for the bottom left corner, but Atubolu chose right and saved the penalty with a strong left hand.

Braga also looked livelier at the outset of the second half, though this time without creating any scoring opportunities. The first chance after the interval fell to SC in the 56th minute, as Manzambi found some space down the left-hand side but could only find the side netting with his attempt. Three minutes later, Matanovic was inches away from netting Freiburg’s second of the evening with a header from a corner.

Last-minute Braga winner

Keeping things tight at the back and continually creating threats at the other end of the pitch, SC kept things even after the break and even had a slight edge in terms of possession and shots on goal. Maxmilian Eggestein saw a shot from a corner saved by Hornicek (64’). A foul on Philipp Treu led to a free kick from around 20 yards out in the 71st minute, but Vincenzo Grifo’s shot was blocked by the Braga wall.

The closing stages were very uneventful up until the 92nd minute, which was partly down to the fact that the visitors didn’t give Braga many opportunities. Towards the end of added time, however, Braga got one last shot off which ended up finding the back of the net. Atubolu palmed an effort from the edge of the box into the path of Dorgeles who tapped it past SCF’s keeper to make it 2-1 for Braga with seconds left on the clock.

“I was happy with the second half, and I think we were the better side. Still, we’ve got to be self-critical and acknowledge that we could’ve been in a better position if we had defended the last chance a bit better,” said Schuster, whose optimism for the second leg at the Europa-Park next Thursday is still encouraging.

Photo: Torbjon Tande