Bundesliga
Freiburg made it back-to-back wins thanks to a storming 3-0 victory away at Werder Bremen, with goalkeeper Noah Atubolu also making Bundesliga history by saving yet another penalty.
Werder Bremen 0–3 Freiburg
Goals: 0-1 Grifo 33‘ (pen.), 0-2 Adamu 54‘ (assist: Grifo), 0-3 Coulibaly 75‘ (og.)
Bremen came into this game having to make do without the injured Samuel Mbangula, with Justin Njinmah taking his place, while Freiburg were without the suspended Johan Manzambi, giving Junior Adamu his first start of the season. The match featured several former Bremen players now wearing Freiburg colours, with Niklas Beste, Eren Dinkçi, Maximilian Eggestein, Anthony Jung, Patrick Osterhage and Maximilian Philipp all returning to face their old club.
Bremen started the brighter of the two sides, controlling possession but struggling to create clear-cut chances. Njinmah had the first meaningful attempt on target in the 10th minute after being set up by Marco Grüll, but his effort was comfortably saved by Atubolu. The match was largely a cagey affair with both teams cancelling each other out in midfield, until the 31st minute when Cameron Puertas handled the ball in the box while attempting to clear.
After a VAR check, the referee pointed to the spot, and Vincenzo Grifo confidently dispatched the penalty into the top right corner past Mio Backhaus to give Freiburg a 1-0 lead. The remainder of the half saw Bremen push for an equaliser, with Marco Friedl going close with a long-range effort, but Freiburg held firm to take their advantage into the break.
Bremen came out with renewed energy after the restart, but it was Freiburg who struck again to double their lead in the 54th minute. A swift counter-attack saw Beste slide the ball to Grifo on the right, who delivered a perfect low cross into the path of Adamu, leaving the striker with a simple tap-in from close range.
The hosts were then handed a lifeline just minutes later when Jordy Makengo was also penalised for handball, giving the hosts a chance to halve the deficit from the penalty spot. Schmid stepped up but saw his effort brilliantly saved by Atubolu, who dived to his right to keep out the powerful strike. That marked an incredible fifth consecutive penalty save for the Freiburg goalkeeper – a new Bundesliga record!
Bremen's hopes of a comeback were effectively ended in the 75th minute when Derry Scherhant's low cross was inadvertently bundled into his own net by Karim Coulibaly as he tried to clear ahead of Adamu.
Grifo's influence on this match went far beyond his coolly converted penalty. The Freiburg captain was at the heart of everything positive for the visitors, providing a perfect assist for Adamu's goal and constantly threatening the Bremen defence.
His vision and technique were evident throughout, completing 82 percent of his passes and creating two chances for his teammates, and his set-piece delivery caused problems all afternoon for the Bremen defence, This performance highlighted why Grifo remains such a crucial player for Freiburg, with his ability to both score and create goals proving decisive in securing an impressive away victory.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Bremen 1.28 - Freiburg 2.72
Fastest player: Justin Njinmah (Bremen), 34.48 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 0-2 by Junior Adamu (Freiburg), 90 percent
Most pressed player: Romano Schmid (Bremen, 15 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), 4.38
Fantasy Heroes: Junior Adamu (Freiburg, 272 Points), Marco Friedl (Bremen, 251 Points), Vincenzo Grifo (Freiburg, 234 Points)