Both teams agreed to play two games of 90 minutes so that all the players could spend time on the pitch. The seven U23 players who took part in the training camp in Schruns also appeared. Six of them started the first friendly, as did Nicolas Höfler, who will miss the first Bundesliga matchday of the 2023/24 season through suspension, as well as Yannik Keitel, Kenneth Schmidt and Florian Müller. Jordy Makengo missed both friendlies having fractured his cheek bone during an unfortunate clash of heads during the final training session in Schruns, which will require an operation. Christian Günter, Roland Sallai and Ristu Doan were also absent. 

The game was available to follow by a livestream and as a result the ground was fairly quiet at the normally sold-out Europa-Park Stadion. This also meant that you could hear every instruction from the dugout and on the pitch. U23 coach Thomas Stamm followed both games, and a number of his players who were in action, from the stands. SC’s first attack was after a few minutes, with Mika Baur crossing the ball across the box, but no-one was able to get on the end of it.

The Ligue 1 side then managed to take control of the game and took the lead after ten minutes. Lebo Mothiba scored a header after a cross from the left-hand side. Streich’s reaction to going behind was, “Keven, stay calm, keep playing.” SC then defended higher up the pitch, but turned over the ball to Habib Diarra in the 21^st minute trying to play forward, who found himself free and fired home to make it 2-0. Streich was not too pleased at this point, demanding better “rest defence”. Three minutes later and the deficit was halved, with Maximilian Breunig scoring a header at the back post from a corner.

Shortly afterwards and you could hear, “well played, very good” from the sidelines in reaction to a nice move which seemed to provide SC with the equaliser. However, Breunig was just offside and referee Martin Pedersen disallowed the goal. After the goal, SC then set up more offensively, and through a shot from Ji-han Lee zu had another good chance in the first half, as well as being solid defensively. They were rewarded in the 41st minute, when Mika Baur found an equaliser. He picked up the ball inside the box after a pass from the right, controlling it and then firing home with his right foot. Streich was also pleased with this goal, clenching his fists in celebration.

Goalless second half

SC began the second half with Benjamin Uphoff instead of Florian Müller in goal and started the half well. Yannik Keitel had the first good opportunity of the half after 52 minutes, but his shot was blocked by a Strasbourg head. Shortly after, Baur made a good run down the right. The guests didn’t offer too much of a threat in the second half, and when they had an effort on goal in the 60th minute, Uphoff was in position to save it. SC put together another good move, with the ball eventually worked to Breunig, but Strasbourg ‘keeper Alaa Bellaarouch parried it away.

With 15 minutes still to go, Streich became much more vocal on the sidelines, unhappy about his side's attacking output. The game lost its tempo. From then on it was only set-pieces, including three Freiburg freekicks, that looked threatening, but no clear-cut chances came from them.

SC Freiburg: Müller (46‘ Uphoff) - Rüdlin, Schlotterbeck, Schmidt (64‘ Müller) - Baur, Keitel (78‘ Stark), Höfler, Lungwitz - Wiklöf, Lee, Breunig

Goals: 0-1 Mothiba (10’), 0-2 Diarra (21’), 1-2 Breunig (24’), 2-2 Baur (41’)