Today’s encounter didn’t quite carry the same emotional weight as when the two sides met in this fixture last season. When Heidenheim last visited Freiburg in May 2024, it was Christian Streich’s final home match in charge of the club. Tears were shed and applause rang out as the stadium rose to its feet to bid farewell to the legendary head coach. Fast forward to February 2025 and there were no farewells or tears, but the pre-match ceremony was still tinged with emotion.

A choir from Freiburg’s twin city of Lviv, broadcasting live from a studio in Ukraine, joined the home crowd in a stirring rendition of classinc football anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone." The initiative was part of OneVoice, a project by Kultur.Konvoi, a collective of artists supporting Ukraine through efforts such as transporting humanitarian aid and live-streaming performances by Ukrainian musicians. By bringing music into stadiums, OneVoice seeks to create moments of solidarity.

Dinkci fires wide, Grifo scores
The first attacking moment from the hosts was led from the back – Philipp Lienhart surged forward through the middle of the park, driving into the box before picking out Erst Dinkci. Instead of finishing first time, the former Heidenheim midfielder opted to take a touch, giving his opponent time to block the shot. 

SC started the match with high intensity, but the visitors settled into the game after ten minutes, making for a more even contest. However, the game struggled to find any rhythm, with referee Tobias Reichel frequently halting play for minor fouls and injury stoppages. Big chances were lacking in the opening 30 minutes, with Erst Dinkci coming closest – his shot on the turn from 15 yards narrowly missing the target. 

Right on the half-hour mark, Freiburg produced their best attacking move so far to take the lead. Ritsu Doan burst down the right flank before showing exceptional composure inside the box to pick out an unmarked Vincenzo Grifo on the edge of the six-yard box with a deft cross – the Italian simply needed to guide the ball towards goal with a cushioned header. “We scored a fantastic goal, brilliantly set up by Ritsu,” said head coach Julian Schuster after the match. Few chances followed for the rest of the half. Freiburg maintained their control by dominating in their duels, while Heidenheim waited patiently but failed to register a single shot on goal before the break.

Plenty of space and chances for Freiburg

Freiburg carried their attacking momentum into the second half, determined to extend their lead. A slick combination in midfield opened space of Dinkçi, who laid it off for Grifo to have an attempt on goal. On this occasion, the angle was a little too tight for the Italian to squeeze the ball past Heidenheim keeper Kevin Müller, who parried the effort away for a corner (50’). Three minutes later, Heidenheim showed what they are capable of in the final third. Omar Traoré's long-range strike clipped the outside of the post. Moments later, Maximilian Eggestein blocked a shot inside the box, while goalkeeper Noah Atubolu was called into action to deny a close-range effort (59’). Much like in the first half, the visitors took time to find their footing but grew into the game. Even Heidenheim head Frank Schmidt later described the match as “a largely even contest.”

Heidenheim struggled in their build-up play, Freiburg’s high press forcing them into errors and misplaced passes. The hosts had space to exploit in transition but lacked precision in the final pass to make it count, or lacked the clinical edge in front of goal, as was the case for substitute Junior Adamu, who fired straight at Müller from 12 yards (68’). Moments later, Doan rattled the crossbar (69’). “We should have put the game to bed in the second half,” said captain Christian Günter after the game. “We had the chances, but sometimes the final pass wasn’t quite good enough.” Heidenheim had one or two chances of their own, but similarly lacked conviction. Adrian Beck’s long-range effort in the 75th minute was easily gathered by Atubolu.

Atubolu saves Freiburg late on

Doan continued to trouble Heidenheim’s defence down the right side. In the 81st minute, his whipped low cross flashed across the six-yard box; Adamu was a whisker away from turning it in. Freiburg’s final chance came through Niklas Beste, who nearly marked his debut with an assist. His cut-back from the byline found Adamu at the near post, but Müller was once again at hand to deny the all-important second goal (90’). “We had space in the second half, and I would have liked us to finish off a few of our attacks with a bit more composure,” said Schuster.

Stoppage time almost threw up a crushing late blow, but Atubolu’s brilliant reaction save to deny Paul Wanner a stunning 25-yard equalizer ensured all three points were staying in Freiburg. “I’m very happy with the three points,” said the Freiburg head coach. And in another scene reminiscent of last season's encounter with Heidenheimn, the players, coaches, and staff from both sides came together at the final whistle to exchange handshakes in a show of mutual respect. 

And in a scene reminiscent of last season’s meeting with Heidenheim, players, coaches, and staff from both teams came together after the final whistle for a friendly exchange of hands and pleasantries. 

Photo: Achim Keller