After a strong start from Freiburg, the Wolves took the lead through a controversial goal by John Anthony Brooks (21’). Wout Weghorst added a second before half time (39’), before Yannik Gerhardt sealed the win late on (86’).

Freiburg remain in ninth with 27 points after 19 games. “Congratulations to Wolfsburg. They deserved to win the game as they put in a more mature performance,” said SC coach Christian Streich. “We started well and played okay overall. There was a clear foul for their first goal, though.”

Santamaria back in the team

Freiburg began strongly in the opening stages in Wolfsburg, with Streich’s side fighting hard and getting stuck in. Nicolas Höfler directed a corner from Vincenzo Grifo just over after seven minutes, while Wooyeong Jeong’s shot after a pass from Ermedin Demirovic wasn’t accurate enough (8’). Wolfsburg defender John Anthony Brooks then denied SC a chance after Höfler won possession back in a promising area (15’).

Two goals before the break

Despite Freiburg’s positive start to the game, it was the Wolves who took the lead. Brooks converted from a corner after a deflection saw the ball land at his feet (21’). This opening goal was particularly frustrating for SC, as it arguably shouldn’t have stood. Freiburg defender Keven Schlotterbeck was fouled by Kevin Mbabu in the box from the corner.

“He stood on his foot,” said Christian Streich. “It wasn’t deliberate, but he clearly stood on his foot. It’s really frustrating to get a decision like this in such a tight game.” Oliver Glasner’s team doubled their advantage before the break too. Renato Steffen played in Wout Weghorst and the Dutch striker struck it past Florian Müller (39’). 

Petersen makes 200th competitive appearance for Freiburg

There were no changes at half time. Freiburg were almost three behind early in the second half but were first saved by the post before another Wolfsburg effort was ruled out for offside (53’). The team then had goalkeeper Müller to thank as he pulled off a strong save to keep his side in it, denying Weghorst one-on-one from close range (64’).

“We regrouped and started well after the break. We gave it our all again, but despite that, Wolfsburg were the better team and our loss today was justified,” said Christian Streich. Shortly before the final whistle, Freiburg suffered another blow when Yannick Gerhardt scored the home side’s third of the day (85’).

Lucas Höler had the best chance of the second half, but he was denied impressively by Koen Casteels (73’). The only memorable aspect of the game from a Freiburg point of view was the introduction of Nils Petersen in the 60th minute. The attacker was able to mark his 200th competitive appearance for the club, which provided a small positive note. SC Freiburg will return home next weekend to welcome Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, with kick-off at 15:30 CET.

Sina Ojo

Fotos: Fabian Bimmer