Sport Europa League
Freiburg’s dream of the quarter-finals collapses at West Ham United
Status: 14.03.2024 | Reading time: 3 minutes
By Philip Dethlefs, Stefan Tabeling
Mohammed Kudus from West Ham scores against Freiburg
Quelle: AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth
Last year Juventus, this time West Ham. Freiburg is currently unable to do more than the round of 16 on the European stage. The starting position was so good. Freiburg couldn’t get their defensive problems under control.
The dream of Freiburg’s first European Cup quarter-finals has suddenly shattered. The sports club lost its good starting position with the clear 0:5 (0:2) at West Ham United on Thursday and, like last year, was eliminated in the round of 16 of the Europa League. After the 1-0 win in the first leg, the Breisgauers were still hoping for a big coup against last season’s Conference League winners, but in the end the Freiburg team suffered their heaviest defeat on the international stage.
Lucas Paqueta (9th minute) and Jarrod Bowen (32nd) put the Hammers on course for the quarterfinals with their goals in the first round, Aaron Cresswell (52nd) and twice Mohammed Kudus (77th and 85th) made everything clear. The Freiburg defeat is also a setback for German hopes in the fight for a fifth Champions League place. After all, Germany and England are currently dueling for second place in the UEFA annual rankings behind the leading Italians, which would entitle them to another starting place.
“Just go out there and play a good game for our opportunities. Then we have a chance,” was the approach taken by Freiburg coach Christian Streich. But the Breisgauers didn’t have their best evening in the drizzle at the London Stadium and were too prone to mistakes, especially on defense. That was punished coldly by the seventh-place team in the Premier League. The Londoners had already prevailed against Freiburg in the group phase with two wins.
Freiburg couldn’t get their defensive problems under control
The plan to keep the hosts away from the goal didn’t work in the early stages. The hosts’ fourth corner led to their first goal when Tomas Soucek headed in, so Paqueta only had to push in at the back post. Freiburg responded with a chance from Roland Sallai, but he narrowly missed (10′).
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But it didn’t happen; instead, West Ham continued to press. Kudus could have already increased (18th). That was done by Bowen, who took the ball away from SC captain Günter in the penalty area and gave goalkeeper Noah Atubolu no chance with a powerful shot. Only then did the Freiburg team – supported by 2,400 fans who had traveled with them – become a little more present. Maximilian Eggestein (38th) and Vincenzo Grifo (40th) caused some goal threat.
The appearance was not to the liking of long-term coach Streich, who announced a decision next week about his possible stay beyond the end of the season. So he brought in Edeljoker Michael Gregoritsch for the second half, who came off the bench in the first leg and also against Racing Lens and scored the winning goal in each case.
But that didn’t solve the defensive problems. Once again, West Ham took advantage of the Bundesliga club’s disorganization when Cresswell shot in from a half-left position following an assist from Bowen. The hosts then confidently maintained their lead over time. Kudus made Freiburg’s defeat even greater in the final phase, but that didn’t do justice to the proportions of the game.