SC Freiburg misses out on important points for the Bundesliga

SC Freiburg not only missed out on winning their Europa League group at West Ham United, but also an important success for the Bundesliga. "Extremely motivated" Freiburg can only trouble the Premier League club in spots.

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 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.

SC Freiburg thus missed out on picking up important points for the Bundesliga. Of the four additional places that will increase the Champions League from 32 to 36 teams next season, two will be awarded to the most internationally successful leagues this season. The league of the winning team will receive two points for a win in an international competition and one point for a draw. Bonus points are awarded for certain successes. The Bundesliga currently leads the ranking, with the English Premier League in third place - and would therefore not send an additional club into the Champions League race next year.