Fans returned for the first time in almost a year to watch the first home fixture of the season at the Dreisamstadion. With a sell-out crowd, Freiburg hymns were ringing around the stadium and you could hear the fans’ joy in their voices, finally able to support their team in person again. It was even a special occasion for Dortmund’s head coach Marco Rose: “It was nice to play in this stadium again.” A hot summer’s day in Breisgau and a blockbuster match against BVB made for an exciting, intense afternoon of football.

After observing a minute’s silence in remembrance of Gerd Müller, Freiburg began the game differently to last week in Bielefeld, with four at the back in front of goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Nico Schlotterbeck and Philipp Lienhart were at centre-back, captain Christian Günter was on the left and Jonathan Schmid was on the right side of the defence. In central midfield were Nicolas Höfler and Yannik Keitel, while Roland Sallai - replacing the injured Manuel Gulde - and Vincenzo Grifo were on the wings. Wooyeong Jeong played upfront alongside Lucas Höfler.

Incredible scenes

Before the match, Streich described Dortmund’s attack as “waves that will keep coming at us”. This wasn’t the case early on, however, and it was Freiburg who had the first opportunity of the game from a Grifo free kick. And what a free kick it was! The ball nestled in the top corner, giving Gregor Kobel in the BVB goal no chance. With the score 1-0 after six minutes, the crowd was ecstatic – this was something they had not seen in a long time.

The goal wasn't undeserved either; Freiburg played without fear, attacking Dortmund early, while at the other end, their goalkeeper was playing exceptionally. Jude Bellingham had the first chance for BVB in the 12th minute, one Flekken was able to get behind. The result was the same when Erling Haaland shot two minutes later. Streich said after the game that, “we defended with luck, but also skill”. The hosts continued to find space going forward, with Günter and Grifo setting the tempo from the left.

Grifo had the chance to cross from another free kick, but this time Schlotterbeck could only head straight at Kobel at the back post (30’). At the other end, SCF rode their luck a bit as Dortmund hit the post, yet Freiburg nearly made it 2-0 soon after, only for Jeong to miscue his effort from a Günter cross.

SCF didn’t hold back on the pitch or off it. The fans were constantly spurring the team on and they obliged - players were getting stuck in in 1v1 duels, and as a team, they were creating a lot in Dortmund territory.

Sallai makes it two

In the second half, Freiburg were attacking the north stand, but their first foray forward was stopped after a foul by Höler on Axel Witsel in the build-up. Jeong produced the first chance after the break with a low shot from distance which was off target (51’), but two minutes later, Freiburg did make it 2-0. Grifo won the ball in midfield and cleverly played it to Jeong. The South Korean then crossed for Höler to lay off for Sallai, who scored from close range to cap off a brilliant move.

BVB got one back shortly after, however. Luck played a role as an unfortunate deflection off Keitel following a cross saw the ball land in his own net (58’). Meanwhile, Schmid won a free kick after a great solo run, but this time Kobel saved Grifo’s attempt.

Full of passion

SCF now began to stand off a bit but remained dogged, and Dortmund didn’t manage to create any goal scoring opportunities. “There were moments of good build-up play. but Freiburg defended with passion,” lamented Dortmund coach Rose after the game.

“We defended for over 90 minutes against Haaland and Co. today - it was an amazing team effort,” concluded Schlotterbeck after the final whistle. Praise also came from Streich: “We did everything really well as a team. We were full of passion. We're really happy with the win, but we know that we needed a bit of luck as well to get the three points.”

It's the second win in a row for Freiburg against BVB, but this time was made even more special by the presence of our fans!

Photo: Achim Keller