2nd matchday
Returnee Philipp lets Freiburg cheer late against Bremen
Freiburg’s match winner against Werder: Maximilian Philipp. photo
© Tom Weller/dpa
A late goal by Maximilian Philipp caused great celebration at SC Freiburg. Opponent Bremen conceded the third competitive defeat in a row at 0:1.
In 23 years in the Bundesliga, the people of Breisgau managed to start with two wins in a row for the second time after 2019/20. On the other side, Bremen conceded their third competitive defeat at the third attempt after losing the DFB Cup at third division Viktoria Köln (2: 3) and the 0: 4 against FC Bayern Munich.
Freiburg’s coach Streich, who once again decided against newcomers in the starting XI, also tried to attack without Michael Gregoritsch. The Austrian missed some of the best opportunities in the 2-1 win at TSG Hoffenheim on the first day of the game and shot at goal more often than all Bremen players in a duel with Bayern combined. Captain Christian Günter, who had to undergo an operation on his forearm for the second time in a short space of time, was replaced by Killiann Sildillia.
Contested early stage
With his hands in his pockets, Streich watched a hard-fought early phase as his side gained control. A header from Lucas Höler flew over the Bremen goal and Pavlenka was there for the two shots by Sallai. The Czech reacted even better against Grifo, who failed to convert a rebound from close range into the goal after Sallai’s second attempt.
“You always need intensity in your game against Freiburg. They take a lot of crosses,” Werner analyzed before the game. But his team acted vigilantly and always managed to relieve the pressure. The most striking thing, however, was not national striker Niclas Füllkrug, who is still associated with a change, but Mitchell Weiser.
Füllkrug worked a lot and kept fixing balls. And professional football manager Clemens Fritz believes that the attacker will still do it for Bremen after the end of the change period. “It’s not that Niklas really wants to leave,” he said in an interview with Sky TV. “If something comes up that is interesting for us economically and interesting for him in terms of sport, we have to talk. I can well imagine that he will still be in Bremen the week after next.”
New momentum after the change of sides
The guests came out of the dressing room with renewed energy. But nothing more than the long-range shots from Jens Stage and Romano Schmid, which flew over the SC case, jumped out.
The Freiburgers lacked the pace for long stretches, although Streich wanted to make sure of that by nominating Ritsu Doan instead of Gregoritsch and the loudly acclaimed acceptance of Philipp – for a long time without success. Because even after a little more than an hour, Pavlenka stood in the way of the attempts by Sallai and Höler. Philipp was the first to bring about the acclaimed salvation.