Gregoritsch ends eternal slump with world-class goal
SC Freiburg are through the winter in the Europa League. In the high-scoring gala against Olympiakos Piraeus, hitherto hapless striker Michael Gregoritsch shone with a treble. Coach Christian Streich is full of praise after his striker's release.
Michael Gregoritsch held the match ball up to the camera for a selfie with a broad grin and was duly celebrated by the fans afterwards. The SC Freiburg treble-winner could not enjoy his magical performance in the 5:0 (4:0) win against Olympiakos Piraeus enough. "Simply a wonderful evening," said Gregoritsch: "My first flawless hat-trick in the professional game. I'm really enjoying it. Everyone knows how much relief and self-confidence it gives me. The last few weeks have not been easy."
With the fifth-fastest treble (3rd, 8th, 36th) in the history of the Europa League, the attacker ended his goal drought, which had lasted since May 2 and a total of 719 minutes, and shot Sport-Club into the knockout round. He will "probably never forget" this evening, emphasized the Austrian. During his bitter dry spell, he had tried "never to moan and instead always kept working".
The way the team and fans were happy for him was "once again proof that I'm in the right place. I'm very, very happy and proud. It's a wonderful thing". His coach was full of praise. "That's soccer. Gregerl had such a hard time, with injuries and all sorts of things," said Christian Streich on RTL+: "Then he scores a 1-0 like that, simply world class around the opposition and then he even scores three goals."
The final match for the group win is scheduled for December 14 at West Ham United. The Breisgau side need a win in London to progress directly to the round of 16, otherwise they will have to go through the intermediate round. "We had great games in the European Cup and scored a lot of goals," said Streich, drawing a positive interim conclusion: "It's something special for us to continue playing in the European Cup in the new year."
Michael Gregoritsch's exceptional performance in the Europa League, including a world-class goal, helped SC Freiburg secure their place in the competition's winter phase. In the team's triumphant 5-0 victory over Olympiakos Piraeus, Gregoritsch scored an historic treble, making him a key player in Freiburg's Europa League journey.
Source: www.ntv.de
