Freiburg eased into the next round of the German Cup with a 5:1 win over Fortuna Düsseldorf at the Merkur Spiel-Arena on Saturday. The visitors took control early and never looked back, despite a spirited if ultimately futile response from the hosts. Cup football has its own rules, and this one was decided in the first half and sealed in the second.
Lucas Höler opened the scoring in the 18th minute, a calm finish that set the tone. Fortuna had possession at 44 per cent and made 71 attacks, but they struggled to convert. Freiburg controlled the tempo and created far more clear-cut opportunities, as the statistics would show later.
And here's the thing — the second half brought a flurry of activity. Igor Matanović doubled the lead in the 71st minute, followed by Lukas Kübler and Fabian Schleusener adding to the tally. Fortuna pulled one back through Fabian Schleusener in the 76th, then Jordy Makengo scored for the hosts in the 80th. By then, the result was already beyond doubt.
Freiburg brought on Vincenzo Grifo and Yuito Suzuki in the 69th minute, making changes that kept their intensity up. Fortuna responded with several substitutions of their own, bringing on Marcel Benger and others in a bid to salvage something from the afternoon. They found no answer to a Freiburg side that had one foot in the next round by then.
The numbers tell the story of a one-sided encounter. Freiburg finished with 15 shots, 10 on target, and an expected goals figure of 2.97. Fortuna managed only five shots, two on target, and 0.84 expected goals. Seven big chances created against one — that is not a contest, that is a lesson.
Freiburg's run continues. Fortuna's cup dream ended on their own patch, a result that adds to a difficult start to the season. The hosts lost 0:2 to Hoffenheim II last week and 1:2 to Waldhof Mannheim before that. One game does not define a campaign, but it certainly sets the scene.