SC Freiburg's dramatic 3-2 DFB-Pokal victory over VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday evening provided Julian Schuster's side with a badly needed return to winning ways following three consecutive defeats across all competitions. Veteran defender Matthias Ginter and striker Igor Matanovic both emphasized the significance of avoiding another setback when speaking to Kicker's Carsten Schröter-Lorenzin the mixed zone after the match.
The Breisgauer had entered their recent run of fixtures riding high. Freiburg followed up their Bundesliga victory over Schalke 04 with a 3-2 Conference League triumph over Czech visitors FK Jablonec on October 15 . Vincenzo Grifo opened the scoring with a free kick, an own goal restored Freiburg's lead early in the second half, and Maximilian Eggestein supplied the decisive third goal. The hosts controlled much of the contest, although a late Jablonec strike ensured a nervy finish.
That victory would prove to be Freiburg's last for nearly two weeks. A 2-1 defeat away to Bayer Leverkusen on October 18 marked the beginning of an increasingly uncomfortable sequence. Schuster's men then suffered their heaviest defeat of the season, losing 3-0 away to Monaco in the Conference League four days later.
The situation scarcely improved against Bayern Munich on Sunday. Freiburg fell two goals behind before pulling one back through a Tom Bischof own goal in the 82nd minute. Despite mounting a late push for an equalizer, the Breisgauer eventually conceded a third goal to Michael Olise in stoppage time. The 3-1 defeat left Freiburg facing the prospect of a fourth consecutive loss when Wolfsburg arrived for Wednesday's cup tie.
The pattern initially appeared set to continue. Igor Matanovic's sixth-minute opener was quickly cancelled out by Kento Shiogai, who subsequently completed his brace shortly before halftime. Freiburg struggled to capitalize on their superiority after the restart, with two apparent opportunities to equalize thwarted by a reversed penalty decision and an offside ruling.
Substitute Keisuke Goto eventually came to the rescue, heading home Grifo's 76th-minute corner before producing a spectacular stoppage-time winner from Philipp Lienhart's long ball. Freiburg had escaped elimination and finally arrested their losing streak. Matters continue for the Breisgauer with a crucial meeting against fellow Bundesliga surprise squad Augsburg on Saturday.
Ginter made no secret of just how damaging another defeat might have been. The German international pointed to Freiburg's demanding schedule and the need to arrest the club's recent slide before it gathered further momentum.
"To lose here after losing three straight [on-the-trot] would have made matters much worse," Ginter responded when asked about the significance of today's victory. "As I remarked on Sunday, we have a make-or-break game in all three competitions that can influence our direction. In this competition, we've advanced another round. It won't be easy [in the Bundesliga] against Augsburg [on Saturday] and against Trabzonspor [next Thursday]."
Ginter's remarks placed the victory in the context of Freiburg's commitments across three competitions. The DFB-Pokal represented the first opportunity to halt the downward trend. The Bundesliga and Conference League would provide the next two tests.
Having secured passage to the third round of the domestic cup, Freiburg now travel to Augsburg on Saturday before facing Trabzonspor in Turkey next Thursday. The opportunity to establish some positive momentum remains, although one dramatic comeback cannot in itself resolve the team's recent difficulties.
Matanovic, who opened the scoring in the sixth minute, was equally relieved to have avoided another bitter setback. The Croatian international emphasized the importance of patience and persistence in a contest that appeared to be slipping away from the hosts.
"It would have been extremely bitter if we lost the game today," Matanovic said. "We were trailing for quite some time, but that distinguishes us. That's something that I've repeatedly mentioned to you guys: That we're patient, that we wait for the chances, that we also happen to work hard for. Today, we proved again that we're not to be written off, not until 90+5 and beyond."
The 22-year-old also offered an assessment of Freiburg's recent difficulties, distinguishing between the disappointing performance against Monaco and the passages of encouraging play against Bayern Munich.
"It was never easy to explain the three losses," Matanovic noted when asked about the club's recent results. "That really wasn't a good game against Monaco, but the reaction was there against Bayern during certain phases. Of course, it would have been horrible and shitty if we got knocked out today. That would have been a tough blow, but we never really got to thinking about that."
The distinction is important. While the Monaco defeat offered little encouragement, Freiburg's late pressure against Bayern had at least suggested that Schuster's players retained the capacity to compete despite difficult circumstances. Against Wolfsburg, that persistence finally produced a tangible reward.
The striker insisted that Freiburg's determination to stick to their approach ultimately proved decisive. Even after Goto's equalizer, Schuster's team continued to push for the winner without abandoning its collective responsibilities.
"We wanted to remain focused on implementing our game plan," Matanovic continued. "We remained patient. As I said, we were engaged all the way up to 90+5. We never gave up. That's important. That one never switches off in the 89th-minute and thinks 'the game is over'. It's important to go full throttle until the very end. We did that. After the 3-2, everybody ran back and defended [the lead]. It all came down to hard work."
Wednesday's win offered an intriguing contrast with Freiburg's previous European victory. Against Jablonec, Schuster's side had built a two-goal cushion before allowing their opponents back into the contest late. Against Wolfsburg, Freiburg were the team chasing the game and eventually delivering the decisive stoppage-time intervention.
Whether the victory represents a genuine turning point remains to be seen. For now, Schuster's men have arrested their losing streak, kept their DFB-Pokal ambitions alive, and earned a timely boost ahead of two more demanding fixtures.
