With the international break behind them, SCF welcomed Eintracht Frankfurt to the Europa-Park Stadion. Head coach Christian Streich made zero changes to the line-up from the most recent game against FC Bayern. Nico Schlotterbeck returned after dealing with a muscle issue, while Roland Sallai and Kevin Schade also returned to the squad. Those in attendance witnessed a lively game right from the start. Eintracht looked to attack early with Mark Flekken having to make some early saves, while SC also did well to get the ball to their strikers. Vincenzo Grifo found Lucas Höler, but he was unable to get a shot off.

Strong saves from Trapp

Freiburg’s first shot on goal came from Wooyeong Jeong, but his shot from range sailed over the bar. At the other end, it was Flekken who did well to deny Lindstrøm with his foot. An exciting match was developing, in which SCF were forced to get back and defend often, while also still having their own opportunities up front. Grifo was able to get off a header following a cross from Lukas Kübler, but Trapp easily caught it. Höler then forced Eintracht’s No.1 into making a diving save, as he stretched to keep out a shot from inside the box (20’).

Five minutes later, Trapp once again denied the hosts with a fingertip save. Grifo sent in a cross that sailed through to the far post, where it dipped, forcing Trapp into the save. Flekken was also kept busy, first saving a shot from Djibril Sow, before being helpless to keep out Lindstrøm’s close-range effort (35’). SC Freiburg reacted well to the set-back, coming close to the equaliser just minutes later. First Jeong, then Maximilian Eggestein were denied in quick succession. Instead, it was the guests who would double their advantage just before the break. A free-kick from Filip Kostic dropped inside the box and bounced in off the far post. “The ball was in the air for about 45 metres and then hits the post, which is unlucky. We struggled to get going, but we then saw an evenly-matched game during the next 30 minutes,” Streich said about the opening half.

Freiburg denied by the woodwork

Streich made one change at the break, bringing on Schade for Schlotterbeck. SCF switched to a back four, as Schade slotted in next to Höler up top. Nicolas Höfler was able to get off a header inside the box after a free-kick, but was unlucky to hit the post. Schade then narrowly missed getting on the end of a cross from Jeong (55’). Frankfurt also remained a threat, however, as Flekken was forced to make a save after a long-range shot from Lindstrøm. Down the other end, Tuta cleared a shot from Grifo on the line. Freiburg’s tactical changes appeared to be paying off, as Frankfurt were contained to their own half. However, the visitors defended well, denying Freiburg from creating many chances.

Streich’s side came close to getting back in the game on multiple occasions, but were either unable to create enough clear-cut chances for themselves, or were denied by a Frankfurt block. Overall, Streich was satisfied with how his team performed in the second half, saying “We played with a lot of pace, but were also a bit unlucky to hit the post and have a shot cleared on the line. Luck wasn’t on our side today.“