“The boys’ willingness to work hard was very good, I need to praise them for that,” commented SC head coach Christian Streich at full-time, whilst also adding: “In footballing terms it was pretty close.”

Although Pál Dárdai had made four changes to the Hertha team which lost 6-0 to Leipzig, Freiburg head coach Christian Streich stuck with the same eleven which beat FC Augsburg 3-0 last weekend, and on paper the team set up identically to the previous game in terms of tactics, too, with Streich opting for a 3-4-3 system.

Hertha sit deep, but Sport-Club open the scoring

It was clear from the start that Hertha had learnt their lessons from the heavy defeat last week, and started the game very reservedly so as to protect their goal. They did not allow Freiburg much time on the ball and sat deep, only first engaging with SC on the halfway line. It was tough for SC, who are still unbeaten this season, to break them down.

The first good chance of the game fell to Freiburg, as Christian Günter’s cross picked out Christian Günter near the penalty spot. The full-back, who celebrated scoring his first Bundesliga goal last weekend, headed towards the top corner, but former SC goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow was equal to it (10’).

SC keeper Mark Flekken was first tested in the 15th minute when he had to save a free-kick shot from a central position, and he tipped it over the bar.

Around 1,000 Freiburg fans came to the Olympiastadion, and they had something to cheer about in the 17th minute of the game. Christian Günter crossed it into the near post towards Philipp Lienhart, who beat Davie Selke to the ball and put it past Schwolow from close range, making it 1-0 to SC in a game which had been relatively even up to this point.

Freiburg’s lead quickly came under threat as Marvin Plattenhardt stood over a free-kick in what was a preferable position for him (22’), but his shot sailed just past the right post.

The first half at the Olympiastadion was rather uneventful, as Hertha, who were obviously chasing an equaliser, lacked precision in their build-up play, but Christian Streich’s side were unable to profit from this themselves. SC came close again just five minutes before the break as Christian Günter did well to play it through to Lucas Höler, who then found himself free on goal until he was tackled by Dedryck Boyata at the last second.

Hertha equaliser but then SC regain the lead

The half ended 1-0 to Freiburg, and the teams left the pitch to a cacophony of jeers from the crowd, aimed towards Hertha BSC’s first-half performance.

Shortly after the second half started, Wooyeong Jeong had a great opportunity for 2-0. A defensive error led to the ball cannoning off a Hertha centre-back and into the path of the South Korean, but a last-minute challenge denied Jeong the chance to shoot on goal (48’).

Hertha, who had made two changes at half-time, tried to press higher up the pitch and play more directly, but they did not frequently trouble the SC defence. Instead, Freiburg continued to play on the front foot and got better on the ball, creating chances for Lucas Höler in the 50th and 54th minutes.

Hertha’s equaliser came from nothing. Maximilian Mittelstädt had too much space on the left flank and put a sharp cross in towards Krzysztof Piątek, who turned the ball home from close range for 1-1 (70’). “We defended poorly there,” commented Christian Streich after the final whistle.

The goal seemed to be a wake-up call for BSC, who had two further chances on Mark Flekken’s goal shortly after finding the equaliser. First, Jurgen Ekkelenkamp just shot over the bar from short range (74’), before Dedryck Boyata narrowly missed with a headed effort (75’).

SC Freiburg put a stop to Hertha growing back into the game by scoring the winner. The goal came from a Christian Günter corner, just as the first goal did, and the ball fell to Nils Petersen, who had just been subbed on. With his back to goal, he managed to find a way to the back of the net to put Freiburg back in front (78’).

Freiburg’s did to have to see off some Hertha chances before the final whistle, however, such as when Maximilian Mittelstädt had a chance on the left-hand side of the penalty box (90’) but misfired.

The away win maintains SC’s unbeaten record after seven Bundesliga fixtures and leaves Freiburg on 15 points, putting them third in the table. There will be a pause before our next league match due to the international break, but SC will next face RB Leipzig in their first Bundesliga home game at the Europa-Park Stadion on Saturday 16th October (15:30 CEST).

Photo: Ottmar Winter