Conference League Player Ratings | Trabzonspor 0-1 Freiburg

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German Conference League representatives SC Freiburg have emerged victorious from a trip to Turkey to face German trainer Thomas Reis and footballing legend Mohamed Salah. A narrow 1-0 victory over Trabzonspor hands the Bundesliga outfit its second UECL victory of the league phase and third consecutive win on-the-bounce. Having beaten Wolfsburg in the Pokal and defeated Augsburg in the league, Julian Schuster’s team enter the weekend having won three games across three competitions.

The Germans have handed Reis his first loss with his new club.

Freiburg claim a deserved early lead

The German guests – after producing a sufficient early threat – were able to reward themselves with a goal inside of the opening quarter-of-an-hour. Jordy Makengo fired a warning shot over the crossbar in the 2nd-minute. A Lukas Kübler cross aimed at Igor Matanovic in the box in the 11th-minute didn’t miss by much. One minute after that, Maximilian Eggestein opted to have a go from distance, sending a scorching effort just one meter wide. A dominant start in open play eventually yielded a 14th-minute corner, from which the Breisgauer scored.

Matanovic rose highest to meet a Vincenzo Grifo corner. Former Manchester United keeper André Onana spilled the rebound directly into the path of Lukas Kübler. Freiburg’s reliable “club-man” made no mistake from close range, bulging the top of the net as he turned in his second goal across all competitions this season. A shaky pass from Onana seven minutes later nearly led to the guests doubling their advantage, but Trabzonspor defender Chibuike Nwaiwu was somehow able to recover in time to block Matanovic directly in front of goal in the 21st-minute. In general, Reis’ Turks struggled to cope with the strong performance of Schuster’s Bundesliga outfit.

Both sides squander chances

The Turkish hosts were nevertheless able to get into the game eventually. Trabzonspor midfielder Ernest Muci put an effort wide in the 29th while Mo Salah flashed over in the 40th. At the other end, Eggestein created more danger with a blocked shot in the 36th. A fine Freiburg passing sequence in the 43rd ended with Grifo sending a lovely curled effort just past the far post. The first half thus drew to a close with the guests up 1-0. Overall, the error-prone Turks could count themselves lucky not to have conceded more.

Mo Salah show causes guests to wobble

Schuster’s Schwarzwälder exhibited significantly less determination after the restart. Freiburg found themselves unable to advance out of their own half. Several pieces of nifty dribbling work from Salah, meanwhile, gave the guests plenty of cause for concern. Only a strong intervention from SCF keeper Mio Backhaus kept Salah from scoring the equalizer in the 61st. Salah remained active on the right while Eggestein and Jordy Makengo struggled to contain the danger.

An intense match crawls to a conclusion

The ball spent most of the rest of the match in the midfield as the two teams could only carve out half-chances during a foul-ridden final half-hour. Substitutes from both teams added a little bit of impetus to the match, but general momentum never really returned. The hosts were able to apply some pressure towards the end, but Freiburg defended admirably well as a unit. The Germans survived a last-minute corner at 90+3 during which Onana and the rest of the team bum-rushed the net.

SC Freiburg Player Ratings

Mio Backhaus (7) – Lukas Kübler (8), Matthias Ginter (7), Philipp Lienhart (7), Jordy Makengo (7) – Maximilian Eggestein (6), Yannik Engelhardt (5) – Cyriaque Irié (5), Keisuke Goto (5), Vincenzo Grifo (7) – Igor Matanovic (7)

Substitutes: Yuito Suzuki (5), Derry Scherhant (6), Jan-Niklas Beste (5), Philipp Treu (-)

GGFN Conference League Player of the Match: Lukas Kübler (8)

Freiburg’s entire defensive unit deserves considerable credit for securing the clean sheet in Turkey. Matthias Ginter and Philipp Lienhart provided a reliable central defensive partnership, while Jordy Makengo contributed to the team’s resistance despite facing considerable pressure down his flank after the restart. Keeper Mio Backhaus also played an important role, most notably with his crucial 61st-minute intervention to deny Mohamed Salah.

Lukas Kübler nevertheless takes home the individual honours. The veteran right-back scored the decisive goal in the 14th minute, reacting sharply to André Onana’s spilled save and converting from close range. Kübler registered 39 touches and completed 90 percent of his 21 attempted passes, while also contributing three crosses and creating one shooting opportunity.

Defensively, the 33-year-old contested ten duels, winning half of them, and held his own in two aerial challenges. His performance combined the attacking opportunism required to put Freiburg ahead with the defensive discipline necessary to protect the narrow advantage. Kübler’s goal ultimately separated the two sides, but it was the collective defensive effort behind him that ensured Freiburg returned from Trabzon with all three points.

GGFN | Peter Weis