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SC Freiburg vs 1. FC Union Berlin

Bundesliga, 15. Matchday

Freiburg vs 1. FC Union

Bundesliga, 15. Matchday

Sun., 13. November 2022, 17:30 Uhr
Europa-Park Stadion
4 : 1
33.800
SR: Deniz Aytekin

Ten man Union Lose on Final Day Before Break

Match report

1.FC Union Berlin: Lennart Grill – Julian Ryerson (Niko Giesselmann), Diogo Leite, Robin Knoche, Danilho Doekhi, Christopher Trimmel – Janik Haberer (Milos Pantovic), Paul Seguin, Genki Haraguchi (Morton Thorsby)– Kevin Behrens (Sven Michel), Sheraldo Becker (Paul Jaeckel)

SC Freiburg: Mark Flekken – Philipp Lienhart, Mathias Ginter, Lukas Kubler (Sallai) – Christian Gunter, Nicolas Höfler (Eggestein), Yannik Keitel, Kiliann Sildillia – Vincenzo Grifo (Höler), Michael Gregoritsch (Petersen), Ritsu Doan (Woo-Yeong)

Goals: 1-0 Grifo (4), 2-0 Grifo (6), 3-0 Grifo (20), 4-0 Gregoritsch (45), 4-1 Michel (85)

Red card: Diogo Leite

Attendance: 33,800

So this is what it all boiled down to. The culmination of everything that had happened to 1. FC Union Berlin since Taiwo Awoniyi’s last minute winner against Bochum that ensured participation in the Europa league in the middle of May, to a chilly evening in Freiburg, and a bitter, crushing loss.

But for Union, this really still was the promised land, the realisation of wildest dreams coming true. It didn’t matter what happened here, if they’d end up in second or third, or fourth or, as it turned out in the end, fifth.

For they’d played a brutal series of games over the last month and a half. And as the game wound on they would start to resemble nothing more than the scene from the Barcelona Olympics when British sprinter Derek Redmond pulled up lame on the final straight. Few who ever saw it would forget his father coming on to help him hobble his way over the line, his hamstring snapped, tears stinging his eyes. But with the embrace of a loving hand on his shoulder

If Union were limping off, at least they had the magnificent Unioner to carry them to the very end.

Not that Urs Fischer would have countenanced such small talk before the game kicked off. It mattered to him, it mattered more than anything else on earth. Unfortunately for him, it also mattered to Freiburg. Christian Streich’s side were in a similar position; playing for history.

So he had replaced the suspended Rani Khedira with Paul Seguin at the heart of midfield, he’d brought Genki Haraguchi into the right of midfield, and Kevin Behrens continued from midweek’s draw with Augsburg where he began, but the rest were the players who had largely delivered so much, all season long.

And it was over within the flash of an eye

Freiburg took the lead before Union had barely had a touch of the ball. Within a minute Ritsu Doan had got onto the end of a Christian Gunter cross as he hared into the box. The ball struck Christopher Trimmel’s hand on the way, and the referee, after consulting the video screen, gave a penalty. Vincenzo Grifo, their top scorer this year, stroked the ball away to Lennart Grill’s left with calmness and ease.

He’d have a hat-trick within twenty-odd minutes.

It was two within five more as Grifo again broke at lightning pace, suddenly it was two against one. He laid the ball off for Michael Grigoritsch, who placed it back to him on a sixpence. Grifo couldn’t miss.

Then came a penalty for Union. It was breathless. Nicolas Höfler had caught Becker in the box. Robin Knoche, who’d scored one against Malmö, and one against Braga, stepped up. He beat the keeper, Mark Flekken, but his shot struck  the base of the left hand post. These were two sides whose success had been built upon their stability, their sobriety. None of that would count for much. Union fell apart.

After 18 minutes came another penalty. Diogo Leite brought down Doan from behind, the referee immediately pointing to the spot, but it’d get worse for Union as he showed the Portuguese centreback a red card immediately. Union were down to ten, and down by three. Twenty minutes had been played.

Freiburg stroked the ball around after that, all their fears, and their own aching limbs, miraculously healed. Höfler and Yannick Keitel were composed in midfield, Phillipp Lienhart and Killian Sildillia with all the time in the world. Grigoritsch and Doan knocked it between themselves like they were playing table tennis. Becker broke down the middle, Julian Ryerson tried to pick out Behrens who dropped deeper to join the midfield battle, but Union could barely buy a touch of the ball, they were chasing shadows. Urs Fischer is fond of saying they’d have to play to their limit, they were at the end of their’s here in places.

Freiburg made it four with almost the last kick of the half as Gregoritsch drifted onto a ball through the middle and guided it deftly over Grill as he came out. It was sublime finish.

Union score, but it means little

Sheraldo Becker didn’t make it back out of the cabin after the interval, Paul Jaeckel taking his place. But few have given as much as he this season, few were as deserving of a break. Fischer, with his lieutenants Sebastian Bönig and Markus Hoffman either side of him, chewed furiously on the bench, there was nothing he could do to affect this game. Nor could Ryerson, no matter how he tried. He dropped his shoulders after getting penalised for a tussle with Keitel. You could see how this hurt him, how he’d given everything.

Fischer would make a couple more changes, bringing on Sven Michel and Morton Thorsby for Behrens and Harguchi, but it was largely a token gesture by this point, there was little to be done. Union pushed up, they tried, their pride stinging more than the pain in their legs. Michel crossed for Thorsby, Ryerson ran at Lienhart, Trimmel’s cross was easily claimed by Flekken. The Freiburg keeper made a far better save a few moments later from Thorsby’s wickedly hit volley.

Sven Michel would take the edge off the loss when he converted a penalty given with five minutes to go, nervelessly. But only slightly.

The Unioner, in a corner of the the Europark stadium, who had never stopped singing, as they never stopped singing against Leverkusen when it was 5-0, nor in Mainz when the heat was brutal and a goal wouldn’t have come had the sides kept playing until the apocalypse, sung “Always look on the bright side of life.” They knew that this was, to paraphrase a troubled, latter day soul singer, not alright, but it was okay. Because the one game they’d missed en-masse, away against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, had hurt more than anything else, just not being able to be there.

And as Derek Redmond’s dad had held him up through that final straight, they held their football Gods up here. They had an arm under their shoulders. On a cold night they gave them the warmth of their hearts. Their love. And despite the loss, despite the sending off, despite the long way home they still had to face, they carried them all the way too, to the winter break.

Because this team had given them so much. It was really the least they could do.

Union vs Freiburg

Match preview

Union's last Bundesliga match of 2022 sees them face another side who have surpassed all expectations so far this year, as second plays third when they meet SC Freiburg in the Europa-Park Stadium. Kick off on Sunday, 13.11.2022, is at 17:30. 

The opponents

Freiburg are currently enjoying a remarkable run. In addition to their historic reaching of the last 16 of the Europa League, with 27 points after 14 games, SCF are enjoying the most successful start to a Bundesliga season in their history.

Freiburg's greatest strength lies at the back. After Bayern and Union, they have the best defence in the Bundesliga with only 16 goals conceded. One reason for this is due to the renewal of an old acquaintance. World champion Matthias Ginter moved at the beginning of the season from Borussia Mönchengladbach back to his home town, to the club where he spent not only his youth, but where he made his first appearances as a professional. The 28-year-old has played in every competitive match since his return.

What Matthias Ginter is for the Breisgau defence, Vincenzo Grifo is up front. The Italian international has been involved in almost a third of all Freiburg's goals, with eleven spread across three competitions.

The reunions

Keven Schlotterbeck spent the 2019/20 season on loan in Köpenick, playing 23 times for Union.

And from Union's side Janik Haberer has even more history to return to. Over six years, the 28-year-old played 171 games for SCF. In the late 2010s, Haberer was fundamental to Freiburg establishing themselves permanently in the Bundesliga.

The personnel

In addition to the injured Frederik Rönnow and András Schäfer, Rani Khedira is suspended follwing his fifth yellow card of the season against Augsburg on Thursday. Otherwise, head coach Urs Fischer has the entire squad at his disposal.

The coach's view ahead of the match

In his press conference on Thursday, Fischer described SC Freiburg as being one of the best teams in the Bundesliga. "Freiburg have had a fantastic year. They are a really well drilled team, because they have been able to keep the squad together as much as was possible. They try to find solutions with the ball, and look to put pressure on the opponent's back line. They also don't shy away from using a long ball, and are always dangerous from set-pieces."

Service info: 

For the last competitive match of the year, 2,100 Union fans will make the long journey to Freiburg. Information on visiting the stadium can be found here (in German).

The match will be broadcast live on DAZN. As usual, Union will also provide information on the match on the club's own live ticker, as well as English updates on twitter.

AFTV Videos

Sven Michel

Sven Michel

was Player of the Day for the last time against Freiburg

Sven Michel

was Player of the Day against Freiburg

MatchStatistics

SC Freiburg vs 1. FC Union Berlin

73 % Possession 27 %
91 % Pass Completion Rate 73 %
52 % Successful Tackle Rate 48 %
7 Shots on Goal 4
10 Crosses 9
0 Yellow Cards 1
0 Yellow-Red Cards 0
0 Red Cards 1

Last match

Date Home Result Away