Even before the final whistle, Freiburg supporters were already climbing down from the stands. Once the historic spot in the final was secured, nothing could contain them: the SC Freiburg Eurocup heroes formed a huge celebratory huddle, manager Julian Schuster shed tears of joy, and the fans poured onto the pitch to join the party. SC Freiburg have now reached their dream destination, Istanbul, and stand on the brink of completing their European fairytale journey.
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A stunning strike and an unlikely hero: SC Freiburg achieve a historic feat, reaching the Europa League final
Freiburg beat Sporting Braga 3–1 (2–0) in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final, overturning the 1–2 first-leg deficit and sealing a place in the club's first European final, scheduled for 20 May in the Turkish metropolis. Only Aston Villa now stands between them and the historic title.
"I've completely lost my voice from all the shouting," Matthias Ginter told RTL. "We just have to take that final step. We now have the most important match in the club's history. For Freiburg, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Vincenzo Grifo, 33, felt the pressure lift. "It's simply outstanding. This team, this club, this city deserves to be in the final. What we've achieved over the last few years..." he grinned. "If we're allowed to, there'll certainly be a celebration. We won't get much sleep tonight. But you can still perform on Sunday even with little sleep." Next up in the Bundesliga is the away match against Hamburger SV.
SC Freiburg capitalised on its numerical superiority.
Goals from Lukas Kübler (19', 72') and Johan Manzambi (41') sparked wild celebrations among the Freiburg fans. Pau Victor replied for Braga (79'), who had to play almost the entire match with ten men after Mario Dorgeles's early red card (6'). Schuster's side leaned on their formidable home form; the Sport-Club have won all seven of their matches at their own stadium in this Europa League season.
"We know what we're capable of," Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu told RTL before the game, predicting "a battle". SC Freiburg were without Yuito Suzuki. The Japanese winger had fractured his right collarbone during Sunday's 1-1 Bundesliga draw with Wolfsburg, so Schuster turned to veteran Nicolas Höfler in the starting line-up.
Spurred on by vociferous home support, Freiburg seized control from the first whistle and were handed a numerical advantage after just six minutes. Dorgeles, who had netted Braga's late winner in the first leg, brought down Jan-Niklas Beste as the winger raced towards goal and was promptly shown a straight red card by referee Davide Massa for a professional foul.
Rather than pressing forward, Braga resorted to time-wasting, and Freiburg's pressure eventually told: Kübler steered a poorly cleared cross towards the Portuguese goal; the ball ping-ponged between the right-back and an opponent before rolling over the line.
Freiburg kept pressing, building patiently and extending their lead: Manzambi cut inside from the left and slotted the ball into the right-hand corner from 20 metres. The first-leg deficit was now erased, although the hosts rode their luck moments before half-time when Victor Gomez hit the post (45+1).
Early in the second half, the Sport-Club pressed for the killer goal: Vincenzo Grifo struck the outside of the post (47'), Matthias Ginter's low drive flashed just wide (49'), and Braga keeper Lukas Hornicek pushed Manzambi's effort away for a corner (53').
In front of 33,700 spectators, including former Germany manager Joachim Löw, Braga kept pushing: Jean-Baptiste Gorby (58') and Joao Moutinho both failed to reduce the deficit (69'). Kübler then restored the two-goal cushion with a header, yet Braga briefly reignited hope.
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