Trabzonspor's express train came to a halt at Freiburg station. The Turkish side suffered their first defeat of the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage in the third round, going down 1-0 to their German visitors. The loss carried a special signature: the first for German coach Thomas Reis since he took charge.
His eighth match in the dugout ended a run of seven consecutive wins, a streak that had the fans at Papara Park dreaming of an exceptional season, according to statistics from Turkish website "61saat".
During that golden period, Reis delivered resounding results in the Turkish Super Lig. The highlights came thick and fast: a crushing 4-0 win over Galatasaray at home, a 3-0 victory away at Samsunspor, then 2-0 over Besiktas, a thrilling 4-3 away win at Caykur Rizespor and another 2-0 over Gaziantep.
In the Conference League, the side had posted a perfect record before facing Freiburg. They beat Finland's KuPS Kuopio 4-2 in Finland and Scotland's Hearts 2-0 in Scotland, leaving their tally at 6 points after the defeat.
But the loss to Freiburg was not merely a first defeat in Europe. It was the first time Trabzonspor had failed to find the net under Reis.
The numbers tell the story. After scoring 15 goals in 5 league matches and 6 goals in two Conference League games, their attack fell completely silent against the German defence. The goal machine that had not stopped since the German coach's arrival finally ground to a halt.