Soccer - Freiburg must enter Europa League intermediate round after 2-0 defeat
Too few ideas up front and mistakes at the back: SC Freiburg missed out on a direct place in the last 16 of the Europa League. The Bundesliga club lost 2:0 (0:2) to West Ham United on Thursday and will have to take a detour via the intermediate round due to the away defeat. The difference was made by goals from Mohammed Kudus (15th minute) and Edson Álvarez (42nd minute). The English Premier League club would have needed a win to knock Freiburg out of first place after losing 2-1 in the first leg.
However, the adventure on the island, which Freiburg and above all coach Christian Streich had been extremely excited about, ended with a damper for the Breisgauers. "I've never played in a competition in the best and most expensive league, where they have by far the most money. It's extremely motivating for us to show that we little Freiburgers from the Bundesliga can play a good game here," Streich said.
His players did not succeed. Only the first scene belonged to Sport-Club. Driven on by more than 3,500 fans, Nicolas Höfler had the first goal for the visitors (1st). West Ham followed suit. The home side wanted to show a reaction after last weekend's 5-0 defeat at FC Fulham. Lucas Paquetá failed to hit the crossbar (5'). But ten minutes later, Kudus got away from his opponent Jordy Makengo and scored.
As in the first leg, Freiburg faced the Londoners with great respect - and were punished for their passivity. Despite the two-man attack, there was hardly anything going forward. In defense, the SC made some hair-raising ball losses. Jarrod Bowen almost accepted one of these gifts. However, the attacker was offside when he supposedly scored his second goal (25').
However, the Hammers extended their lead before the break. As Freiburg were unable to get a grip, Álvarez, who was courted by Borussia Dortmund before the season, increased the lead effortlessly.
Streich reacted and took Roland Sallai off the pitch. Merlin Röhl, who came on as a substitute for the Hungarian, provided a brief boost. However, Lukasz Fabianski was on hand (50'). West Ham continued to dominate the game despite Freiburg's warning shot: Bowen failed to get a controlled finish (52') and Kudus put his effort wide (54').
Freiburg, who had been so prolific in the Europa League so far and had a number of key players rested in the closing stages, failed to muster a response. Even Ritsu Doan's shot (74') did nothing to change that.
Overview Europa League match schedule SC Freiburg
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- Despite the defeat, Coach Christian Streich was excited about Freiburg's Europa League journey, expressing his motivation to show that the German club can compete in the best league.
- SC Freiburg will face an additional round in the Europa League after a 2-0 loss to West Ham United, missing out on a direct place in the last 16 due to the away defeat.
- West Ham United took advantage of Freiburg's passivity and mistakes in defense, with goals from Mohammed Kudus (15th minute) and Edson Álvarez (42nd minute) sealing their victory.
- The English Premier League club West Ham would have needed a win to knock Freiburg out of first place after losing 2-1 in the first leg, but the Breisgauers failed to deliver a strong offensive performance.
- Freiburg faced London's West Ham United with great respect in both matches and struggled to create opportunities, with limited impact in the attacking third.
- SC Freiburg, who had a number of key players rested in the closing stages of the competition, were unable to muster a response in their Europa League match against West Ham United, failing to build on their successful run in the tournament.
Source: www.stern.de
