Last season’s German Cup runner-up Freiburg advances to the quarterfinals with two late-game goals…Ritsu Doan plays on the way

Last Updated on 02/08/2023 by てんしょく飯

The DFB Pokal Round of 16 (3rd round) was held on February 7, with Freiburg and Sandhausen playing each other.

　Freiburg has been fighting for the top spot in the Bundesliga this season.

Freiburg was in 5th place at the end of the previous two rounds, but suffered a 1-5 defeat in a “head-to-head” matchup with 4th place Dortmund in the 19th round of the Bundesliga on February 4. They are currently in sixth place. On the other hand, in the DFB Pokal, where they reached the finals last season, they have struggled from the first round. Both of their last two matches have gone to extra time, and they are now in the round of 16, where they will face Bundesliga side Bundesliga. In the round of 16, Freiburg will face a side from the Bundesliga’s second tier, lower division, in Sandhausen. Freiburg made five changes to their starting lineup from the Dortmund game, with Ritsu Doan starting on the bench for the first time in eight games.

The first 45 minutes of the match ended scoreless, with both sides lacking a decisive goal. In the second half, Freiburg created the decisive moment. In the 72nd minute, Freiburg made their move. Rolando Chalay and Lucas Kübler were dropped and Doğan and Kilian Sirdiria were brought onto the pitch. The two right-sided players were replaced in an attempt to invigorate the attack.

Freiburg took control of the game from start to finish, although there were some chances created by Sandhausen. The game was finally broken in the 86th minute when a dribble from deep down the left flank found the back of the net. Vincenzo Grifo dribbled deep down the left flank and earned his team’s sixth corner kick of the day. Grifo took the left corner kick, and Philippe Reinhart met it with his head. His well-aimed header into the net put Freiburg ahead in the last minute.

Nils Petersen added the decisive goal in second-half added time after a pass was missed by the opposing goalkeeper. The game went down to the wire, with Freiburg advancing to the quarterfinals with a win. The draw for the quarterfinals will be held on February 12, and the matches will be held on April 4 and 5.

Score

Sandhausen 0-2 Freiburg

Scorers

0-1 86 min Philipp Reinhart (Freiburg)

0-2 90+5 min Nils Petersen (Freiburg)