In its dress rehearsal for the upcoming duels with Bayern Munich, SC Freiburg lost two important home points in the race for the Champions League places with a 1-1 draw against relegation candidate Hertha BSC despite being in the lead.
Christian Streich let his frustration run free. After SC Freiburg’s premier class dreams were dampened by the 1-1 (0-0) against relegation candidate Hertha BSC, the Breisgauer coach hit the plexiglass roof of the fourth official with his palm and disappeared angrily into the cabin aisle.
A few meters away, the Berliners were allowed to let their supporters celebrate the first away point after eight bankruptcies in a row in foreign stadiums. Jessic Ngankam (77th) scored for Hertha, who sent an important sign of life in the fight to stay up after Freiburg’s opening goal by Vincenzo Grifo (52nd).
Maximilian Eggestein was dissatisfied after the equalizer. “If you look at the results of the others, two points would have been very good,” said the midfielder sky-Microphone.
The SC, who meet Bayern Munich in the next two matches (cup and league), at least kept their streak alive: Freiburg have been unbeaten in seven games, and Breisgau have not lost at home in twelve games.
Freiburg – Hertha: Grifo hits a free kick
Undaunted by the loss of points against Hertha, the supporters got in the mood for the top games with “Takes off Bayern’s lederhosen” chants. But Freiburg keeper Mark Flekken didn’t want to be dazzled: “If you want to play at the top, you have to bring the game home,” complained the keeper.
The 34,700 spectators in the sold-out Freiburg stadium saw a Berlin starting line-up that changed six positions compared to the previous game at TSG Hoffenheim (1:3). Kevin-Prince Boateng started from the start for the first time since matchday one. According to coach Sandro Schwarz, the veteran should give the team support.
In fact, the Berliners made a stable impression in the early stages, especially in the duels the guests were very present. The capitals left nothing to burn on the defensive.
Even after 20 minutes there was no chance for Freiburg. The hosts were unusually imprecise in their offensive actions. Only in the 27th minute did Lucas Höler pose a little danger in front of the Berlin goal. After this scene, the SC increased the number of strokes. However, the best opportunity in this phase was missed by Dodi Lukebakio on the other side with a header (32nd).
A few minutes after the restart, a standard put Freiburg in the lead. The free kick for Grifo’s 13th goal of the season was deflected.
Shortly thereafter, Lukebakio, who broke through, had the equalizer on his feet, but the attacker was denied by Flekken (56′). Just three minutes later, SC striker Höler cleared on his own goal line after a Lucas Tousart header from close range.
After 66 minutes Boateng had to vacate his place for Suat Serdar. After that, the encounter finally developed into an open exchange of blows. Hertha took a risk, Freiburg countered. There were chances for both sides, substitute Ngankam scored after a mistake by substitute Jonathan Schmid.
SC Freiburg – Hertha BSC: The voices
Christian Streich (Coach SC Freiburg): “We concede a goal that should never happen like that. It annoys me like crazy. We let the win lie. The result sucks, it pisses me off.”
Sandro Schwarz (Hertha BSC coach): “I think we put in a very decent performance away from home. We were there right from the start. We are satisfied with our performance, it was a good step.”
