BVB has been struggling against SC Freiburg for a long time, but later turns a 0:1 deficit at SC Freiburg to 3:1 (0:1). A rising star and a bad buck from Mark Flekken help Edin Terzic to his second win in the second Bundesliga game.
Michael Gregoritsch (35′), Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (77′), Youssoufa Moukoko (84′) and Marius Wolf (88′) scored the goals
Anthony Modeste made it straight into BVB’s starting XI on his debut, but scored three jokers
Sports director Sebastian Kehl gave an insight into the further transfer planning before the game – and commented on some rumours
SC Freiburg vs BVB: The Analysis
From the start, the game delivered what it had promised: football with intense pressure. Both started with 4-2-3-1 formations and tried to be very aggressive and powerful, especially in midfield. This led to some ball losses in the build-up game, with Freiburg initially dealing with it better. Especially on the right side of Dortmund, the Breisgau team made breakthroughs again and again.
Grifo and Günter used the spaces that Meunier and Hazard gave them. Especially after the Freiburg side shifted, it burned more often in the Dortmund penalty area. After 35 minutes it was a long ball that isolated Meunier from Grifo and led to 1-0 through Gregoritsch. Dortmund’s vulnerability on the flanks resulted on the one hand from poor organization after transfers, but on the other hand from the two very high-acting full-backs Meunier and Guerreiro. Although Dahoud dropped between the central defenders several times to cover, the spaces on the outside could not be closed sufficiently.
On the other hand, BVB had some good opportunities to take the lead themselves. An example of this was a finish by Modeste (22nd), who set the direction with the ex-Cologne player: With his back to the goal, he put the ball on Reus and immediately started into the penalty area, where he failed at Flekken from a tight angle. Dortmund occupied the offensive spaces well, but rarely made it into the Freiburg penalty area from there because the nominal wingers Hazard and Malen did not launch often enough and there was a lack of counter-movements that could have pulled the opponent’s back four apart .
In the second half, BVB took control much more often. Between the 45th and 60th minute alone, the Black and Yellows had 68 percent possession of the ball. However, the combination game remained too static to really radiate danger and the offensive switching moments became rarer due to a lack of ball losses from Freiburg. As a result, BVB made more breakthroughs on the right. Wolf had significantly more good actions than Meunier in the first half.
However, the many ball losses in midfield remained problematic. Only Dahoud came in 16th in the control center. Bynoe-Gittens’ long-range shot slipped through Flekken’s hands and got BVB back on track (77′). Driven by the substitute winger, Dortmund now created a completely different pressure. At 2-1 it was mainly Bynoe-Gittens with his strong dribbling who brought the situation to life (84′). BVB had not previously succeeded in such a combination. With the 3:1 by Wolf (88th) the Dortmund set a final point, which made the result a little too clear. Because of a strong final phase, the victory was deserved.
SC Freiburg versus BVB: the voices of the coaches
Christian Streich (Coach SC Freiburg): “We played well, I’m happy. We lost in the end, it’s a shame. It’s no use being praised now. We have to draw the right conclusions. There’s no point in thinking that we were unlucky to lose. “
Edin Terzic (Borussia Dortmund coach): “It was a very intense game – as is often the case against Freiburg. We got into the game properly and were able to gain a few things in the first 30 minutes. Then the quality of SC Freiburg came. We had to fight not to concede the second goal .We gained some control in the second half and equalized with a lucky goal. Then we kept our foot on the accelerator.”
SC Freiburg had not lost any of their last 17 games in the Bundesliga after a half-time lead (W15, D2), the last defeat was on April 3, 2021 against Borussia M’gladbach.
The star of the game: Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (BVB)
The Joker pricked shortly after being substituted on in the 77th minute. His shot provided Flekken with a very personal Karius moment. The next brilliant moment came in the 84th minute. The strong dribbling of the 18-year-old started the 2-0. That’s all it takes from a joker.
The flop of the match: Mark Flekken (SC Freiburg)
People would probably talk about the game differently if Flekken had caught the ball in the decisive scene, as he has done so many times before. But the ball slipped through his hands and Dortmund scored two more goals with a tailwind. Annoying for Flekken and annoying for SC Freiburg.
The referee: Tobias Welz
Had to evaluate a few duels, especially in midfield, but remained sovereign. Followed a clear line that matched the intense playstyles of both teams. Still only rarely had to come to the fore because there were only a few tricky scenes. In the 87th minute, he correctly decided not to award a penalty when Bellingham fell too quickly in the Freiburg penalty area. At the Wolf goal (88th), Moukoko ran in the direction of Flekken. If he blocked his view there, it would have been offside. Welz opted for a regular goal. At least it was wafer thin.
