The lead from the first leg wasn’t enough. SC Freiburg clearly lost to West Ham United and, like last year, was eliminated in the round of 16 of the Europa League.
SC Freiburg lost the second leg of the round of 16 in the Europa League at West Ham United 0:5 (0:1) and were eliminated after the 1:0 in the first leg. Lucas Paqueta gave London the early lead (9th minute). Attacker Jarrod Bowen increased the score after just over half an hour (32′). In the second period, Aaron Cresswell quickly followed up (52′), Mohammed Kudus made the final score with a brace (77’/85′).
“We are totally disappointed, totally empty. Of course we had high hopes, especially after the first leg,” said Michael Gregoritsch in an interview with SWR. “But today we were significantly weaker and that’s why we deserved to get out.”
Unlike their success a week ago, the Freiburg team faced attacking home teams from the start. The sports club initially hardly got any relief, the lead for West Ham was in the air. After just under ten minutes the time had come: Paqueta gave the Hammers the lead when he was able to slot in from close range after a corner at the far post.
The Breisgauers almost managed to get a quick answer in the game in the Olympic Stadium in London (March 14, 2024). But Roland Sallai shot just past the goal to the left after a nice deep pass (10th). Freiburg was now able to keep the game even, but West Ham remained more dangerous.
Eggestein and Grifo’s finishes are not dangerous enough
In the 19th minute, the home fans were already celebrating the goal, but Kudus’ shot after strong preparatory work from Michail Antonio rolled past the far corner. Just when Freiburg were in a better position in the encounter, West Ham struck for the second time. Bowen robustly prevailed against SC captain Christian Günter and hit the right corner from 18 meters (32′).
It took until the 38th minute for the sports club to make an offensive appearance again. Vincenzo Grifo fed Maximilian Eggestein in the center, but his finish didn’t cause any major problems for keeper Lukasz Fabianski. Two minutes later, Grifo broke through down the left side, but his shot wasn’t placed enough either.
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SC Freiburg: Changes have no effect
The motto for the second half was clear: Freiburg needed a goal to keep their chance of reaching the quarter-finals. Coach Christian Streich changed accordingly and brought in Michael Gregoritsch for Grifo, another central attacker alongside Lucas Höler. But the hit came on the other side. Freiburg did not get the ball cleared decisively after a cross. Aaron Cresswell got the ball, had time and hit the ball exactly into the right corner.
Freiburg didn’t give up, but the guests weren’t really compelling. A cross from Günter went too high for Gregoritsch (57′). On the other side, Paqueta missed the fourth goal for the Hammers when he headed his header past the post after a quick combination (58′). As a result, West Ham withdrew slightly and Freiburg took control. The SC now had to loosen up their defense, which gave West Ham space to counterattack. In the 73rd minute, Eggestein was able to clear at the last second.
Four minutes later, Kudus made the final decision when he went solo after a Freiburg bad pass in his own half and in the end didn’t give Freiburg keeper Noah Atubolu a chance. And the hosts remained mercilessly effective: Kudus’ hard left-footed shot made it 5-0 (85′).
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After West Ham, Leverkusen is waiting for Freiburg
As in the previous year (against Juventus Turin), the sports club was eliminated in the round of 16. The next difficult task is on the agenda for Freiburg in the Bundesliga. On Sunday, the Streich team will welcome the undefeated league leaders Bayer Leverkusen (March 17, 2024, 3:30 p.m.).