This matchday 18 clash was a landmark one for several reasons. It was the 800th Bundesliga game in the club’s history and Vincenzo Grifo’s 250th in all competitions for the club. SC then scored their 500th top-flight goal under Christian Streich, while former Freiburg goalkeeper Oliver Baumann made his 350th appearance for Hoffenheim.

To remember the millions of people that were stigmatised, brutally persecuted and murdered during the Second World War, the players wore hoodies with the hashtag #everynamecounts on them, representing a project by the Arolsen Archives, the international center on Nazi persecution. The 27th January will mark the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

SC were the brighter of the two sides early on, with Lucas Höler replacing Noah Weißhaupt in the starting XI from last weekend. In the first 12 minutes, which saw the SC fans remain silent due to a protest against the DFL, there was little action in either box. The first notable moment came in the 17th minute from a Vincenzo Grifo free-kick. Michael Gregoritsch flicked it on, but couldn’t find a target. At the other end, Andrej Kramaric got a shot away from 10 yards out, which was saved comfortably by Noah Atubolu (18’).

VAR decides in favour of SC

With the fans finally back cheering on their team, Grifo came close to turning up the volume even higher. His shot from around 15 yards out was tipped wide by Baumann (22’). It was a hard-fought game and a number of tackles flew in in the midfield, resulting in just a couple of chances for both sides in the first half an hour.

SC had to wait until the 35th minute for their next good opportunity. Merlin Röhl did well out wide and put the ball across for Sallai, however Baumann was on his toes again. The Freiburg fans had their arms in the air two minutes later when Höler flicked in Grifo’s cross, albeit only for a short moment as the linesman’s flag went up for offside. However, VAR watched it back and the was given. SC pushed for another goal and almost got one too. Grifo and Höler combined again, but Baumann saved (40’).

Grifo scores on his 250th appearance

Almost out of nowhere, Hoffenheim came close to finding an equaliser in the closing stages of the first period. Matthias Ginter blocked Kramaric’s shot on the line and his goalkeeper Atubolu then saved the rebound. The visitors came quickly out of the blocks after the break, though SC had the first sight of goal. Sallai switched the play with a diagonal pass to Jordi Makengo, whose shot flew towards the far post, where Grifo missed it by centimeters (51’).

SC didn’t have to wait much longer for their 500th Bundesliga goal under Christian Streich and their second of the afternoon. Vincenzo Grifo turned his defender and then fired the ball home on his left foot (55’). TSG quickly got a foot back in the game though, as Wout Weghorst pulled one back just two minutes after Grifo’s goal.

Hoffenheim level it up

SC carried on searching for another goal, narrowly missing out on a third after 64 minutes when Höler shot wide from a tight angle. The home team were solid at the back, however a long ball forward found Maximilian Beier in too much space and he leathered it past Atubolu to level proceedings (77’). “Our positioning wasn’t good after going 2-0 up,” admitted Maximilian Eggestein after the game. Despite this setback, Streich’s men didn’t lose hope. Ginter’s header looked promising, but Baumann got his fingertips to the ball in time.

The next setback didn’t come in the form of another goal, but rather a red card. Centre-half Manuel Gulde was shown a second yellow card for a soft foul (82’). The ten men of Freiburg continued to fight and got a winning goal three minutes after Gulde’s dismissal. Sallai’s header was initially saved by Baumann, but he reacted quickest to score the rebound, a goal his performance had deserved. Grifo added after the final whistle: “I couldn’t believe it when they equalised, but then Roland scored a great goal. I didn’t want to get too excited though, because I knew that Hoffenheim could fight back again.”

Freiburg saw out the final few minutes and withstood Hoffenheim’s attacks. “It was a real scrap at the end,” said Ginter. “But the fans played their part too. It was a crazy game, but I think we dealt really with the setbacks of conceding twice and having a man sent off.” Streich was frustrated with Hoffenheim’s first goal, summarising: “Luck was on our side today. I’m pleased to have won the game.”

Photo: Achim Keller