Freiburg saw off Motherwell 4-1 in the UEFA Conference League playoff round at the Europa-Park-Stadion on Wednesday evening. The German side took control early and never looked back after their visitors were reduced to ten men. It was a comfortable night for the hosts who advanced on aggregate after winning the first leg 3-1 at home.
And here's the thing about those opening exchanges — D. Scherhant gave Freiburg the lead after just six minutes, but Motherwell responded through E. Longelo's goal in the twenty-second minute. To be fair, it kept things interesting until J. Girdwood-Reich picked up a second yellow and was sent off in the fifty-seventh. That changed everything, and Freiburg took advantage immediately.
By then the momentum had shifted decisively. I. Matanovic restored the two-goal cushion in the sixtieth minute before C. Irie added a fourth in the sixty-third. The visitors could do little about it — their goalkeeper made six saves but faced relentless pressure. Freiburg played in driving rain and ground out the win without much fuss.
Both managers made changes in the second half, though Freiburg's substitutions came later. M. Rosenfelder and Y. Suzuki went on together in the sixty-fourth, followed by a wave of changes around the hour-and-a-half mark. K. Goto made sure of the result with an eighth-minute goal to cap the scoring, bringing the final tally to five goals across the fixture.
The statistics tell the story without embellishment. Freiburg held 70 per cent possession and fired 24 shots at goal, eleven on target. Their expected goals figure of 4.07 suggested they deserved more than four, while Motherwell managed just two shots with one on target. The visitors created zero big chances compared to five for the hosts.
This result means Freiburg progress to the group stage with confidence. They were dominant in the air from set plays and took their chances when it mattered. Motherwell felt the pressure from the opening whistle and paid for a sloppy opening — now they'll need to regroup before facing another tough European tie.
