The atmosphere at the MEWA Arena in Mainz was one of nostalgia on matchday 26 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season. The home side wore special kits and their fans prepared a magnificent tifo to mark the 120th anniversary of the club – both sides’ club crests were even given a retro makeover. SC’s was inspired by the logo from a team photo taken in the 1920s. Back then, the team was based in Thun and sported a round logo displaying the letters “S”, “C” and “F” arranged around a griffin on their chests.

The different club crest was accompanied by one change to the line-up that started the home game against Leipzig. Vincenzo Grifo came into the starting XI, as Eren Dinkci dropped to the bench. The game was an exciting, open affair from the outset, with SC only taking four minutes to get their first shot on goal from around 18 yards out. Three minutes later, Christian Günter got a shot off in the Mainz penalty area, but his effort flew just over the bar. At the other end of the pitch, the hosts did not pose too many problems for Noah Atubolu in the opening quarter of an hour and the Freiburg defence held their ground. The same applied to the Zerofivers’ backline, with both teams keeping up their impressive recent form out of possession in an intense match.

Clean sheet streak broken after six matches

With around half an hour gone, Freiburg looked to create threats in the Mainz box once again. The ball landed at Eggestein’s feet after a bit of pinball in the penalty area and the midfielder had a go from around 16 yards out, but he too fired over. A couple of minutes later, it finally happened: Freiburg conceded a goal for the first time in 609 minutes, in six matches. Anthony Caci drove down the right-hand side before finding Jonathan Burkhardt, who gave Kiliann Sildillia the slip and put the hosts in front with Mainz’s first real chance of the game.

SC found some space in opposition territory with five minutes to go in the first half. Adamu supplied Lucas Höler with a clever pass in behind, who was held up by a Mainz defender and brought to ground just outside the box. Referee Benjamin Brand did not hesitate in awarding a free kick and booking the offender. However, it took a few minutes for a final decision to be reached, as VAR reviewed the situation. The call eventually went Freiburg’s way: Brand rescinded the yellow card and instead gave Dominik Kohr his marching orders for denying a goalscoring opportunity as the last man.

Now with a numerical advantage, Grifo almost restored parity for Freiburg with his free kick. Robin Zentner managed to tip the ball over the bar at full stretch, though, to preserve the home side’s lead going into the break (45’).

Ten against eleven in the second half

Having gone a man down, Mainz came out for the second half with a new formation after the interval, setting up in two banks of four with a lone striker. Nevertheless, the first chance of the second 45 was a counterattack for the hosts, as Jae-sung Lee got a shot off in the Freiburg box. As expected, the Zerofivers’ second-half approach was based around catching SCF off guard. It was down to the Freiburg players to dictate the game and overcome the stoic Mainz defence.

They almost succeeded in the 53rd minute. Doan whipped a ball into substitute Michael Gregoritsch from the ring wing, whose header was diverted over the bar by Zentner. Mainz kept things tight, with all their players sitting back in their own half. The home side still threated with the occasional counterattack. Once again, Burkardt tested Atubolu, but the Freiburg keeper hung onto the powerful shot. An effort from Caci hit the side-netting in the 69th minute.

Super subs level things up

After a number of attacks down the flanks, SCF eventually reaped their reward. Günter picked out Gregoritsch with a cross from the left wing, and the striker powerfully headed home from close range to get Freiburg back on level terms (58’). Four minutes later, Höler had a huge chance to put his side in front. The striker found himself unmarked in the box but was denied by the impressive Zentner. The Mainz keeper also thwarted Freiburg’s, and Höler’s next opportunity, this time saving his header.

Despite Mainz’s defensive set-up, SCF found themselves in space more and more often. Doan burst down the right wing in the 65th minute and tried to score himself, but his effort hit the side-netting as Höler stood unmarked in the box. Freiburg had more space due to a shift in Mainz’s mentality, as the hosts became more involved in the game after the 70-minute mark and tried to carve out their own chances. It turned into a back-and-forth affair, with the sides exchanging blows at both ends of the pitch. In the 74th minute, it would be Mainz to tip the balance back in their favour. Atubolu could not hang onto a cross and the resulting delivery into the box found Andreas Hanche-Olsen, who nodded the ball over the line to make it 2-1.

Freiburg were punished for taking their foot off the gas but came back once again. Doan was unbelievable in the build-up, jinking down the right-hand side and finding another substitute, Lukas Kübler, in the box. Kübler poked the ball home from close range to level the game up at 2-2 (79’). “That was noticeable today,” noted Schuster. “We spoke about character a lot before the game, and the team showed it today by coming back twice.”

The game remained open in the closing stages. Gregoritsch’s shot following a counterattack in the 89th minute was too wild. The scores were still level when the referee blew his whistle, and the gap between SC and Mainz in the table remained the same. After the international break, Freiburg have two home games in a row, first against Union Berlin, then Borussia Dortmund.

Photo: Achim Keller