Freiburg are (still) on tour. “Oh, how wonderful! We haven’t seen anything like it in a long time,” came the chant from the south stand as the match moved towards its conclusion. The final whistle sparked joyous scenes of celebration in the stands and on the pitch, and Julian Schuster looked delighted. After two round-of-16 exits, SC have made it to the Europa League quarter-finals at the third attempt.

“We have just experienced a very special evening. The team responded brilliantly after the past few games. I’m incredibly proud of this performance. There were times when we were happy just to stay up or to get promoted to the Bundesliga. Now, we can celebrate reaching the Europa League quarter-finals. It’s fantastic that our adventure will keep going,” said Schuster.

When the game kicked off the Europa-Park Stadion, however, SCF’s first task was to cancel out their narrow 1-0 deficit from the first leg. They did exactly that in the first half.

Compared to the Bundesliga clash with Union Berlin, the Freiburg coaching staff made three changes to the forward line behind Igor Matanovic, as Niklas Beste, Yuito Suzuki and Vincenzo Grifo came into the side. Maximilian Eggestein also returned to European action after missing the first leg through suspension.

SC began full of momentum, courage and attacking intent, while also having the vocal home crowd right behind them. Genk, who held a 1-0 lead from the first leg, started with a back five but did not only set out to defend. They looked to counterattack quickly and were aggressive in the challenge.

SC turn the tie around but Genk hit back

SCF had much more possession in the early stages, but created few clearcut opportunities during the first 15 minutes. Eventually, a set piece led to the first big chance and the opener for Freiburg. Grifo’s free-kick delivery found Matthias Ginter, who headed the ball off the post and into the net (19’).

Just two minutes later, the hosts faced their first scare. Aaron Bibout had a free header after a cross into the box, but Noah Atubolu prevented the equaliser with a superb save. “Genk had the quality to cause us problems. At the right moment, we had Atu, who reacted brilliantly.”

The visitors remained dangerous, particularly from dead balls, but SC were taking their chances. Ginter turned provider as he headed on Suzuki’s deflected shot to Matanovic, who had plenty of space to turn the ball home (25’).

SCF now led 2-1 on aggregate, and there was a noticeable change in the Belgian side’s game plan. Genk switched to a more attacking style, looked to create opportunities from the flanks and levelled the tie in the 39th minute. After his shot had come back off the post, Konstantinos Karetsas played the ball into the middle, where Matte Smets struck from close range. Bibout had another good chance almost immediately after, but it went wide, before Ken Nkuba’s shot flew over the bar.

Grifo becomes a record breaker and Suzuki adds the fourth

After that first half, the tie was level again. The two teams were still evenly matched in the second period, but it was Freiburg who found the net again. After the visitors surrendered possession, Grifo pounced and slotted past Genk goalkeeper Tobias Lawal to make it 3-1. This strike also made him SC’s all-time record goalscorer, with 106 in competitive matches for the club.

Not long after, the coaches and even both substitute goalkeepers, the kit manager and the medical staff on the bench erupted in pure joy. This was because the hosts had made it 4-1. Just three minutes after Grifo’s goal, Suzuki found the net following a quick counterattack after an opposition corner and some excellent link-up play with Johan Manzambi.

Eggestein wraps up the win

After a frantic start to the second half, the flow of the game – as well as Genk’s attacking play, which had led to just one opportunity before the 84th minute – were affected somewhat by various interruptions. Additionally, SCF remained compact, conceded few chances and attacked quickly and purposefully after winning the ball back. In the 79th minute, one of these counterattacks led to a fifth goal for the hosts. Eggestein found some space in the penalty area and finished well to make sure of the victory for Freiburg.

SC still had a number of good opportunities after Eggestein’s goal. Derry Scherhant, Bruno Ogbus and Lucas Höler all had chances before the end. After the final whistle, the team celebrated with the supporters. Matanovic, who had scored the second goal of the night, said: “Thank you to the fans. That was just incredible.”

SCF will continue their European journey against Spanish side Celta Vigo, who they will face on 9th and 16th April.

Photo: Achim Keller