SC Freiburg has secured a place in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history, defeating Celta Vigo 3-1 in the second leg of their quarter-final tie to advance 6-1 on aggregate.
The German side produced a composed performance at Balaídos on Thursday evening, building on their 3-0 first-leg advantage to reach the last four of Europe’s secondary club competition. Julian Schuster’s team had already taken a commanding lead after their victory at Europa-Park-Stadion the previous week, and they quickly set the tie beyond doubt in Vigo.
Igor Matanovic opened the scoring for Freiburg just past the half-hour mark, lashing an incredible volley past Ionut Radu from outside the area following Jordy Makengo’s intelligent knock-down. The goal was initially ruled out for offside in the build-up but was awarded after a VAR review, putting Freiburg 4-0 up on aggregate.
It was 2-0 on the night and 5-0 on aggregate in the 39th minute when Yuito Suzuki swept into the bottom-right corner following a good interchange with Niklas Beste in the left channel. Suzuki added his second five minutes into the second half, scoring on the rebound after Makengo failed to apply the finishing touch following a marauding run down the right flank that saw him outmuscle Fer Lopez and round goalkeeper Radu.
Celta Vigo finally got a goal back through Williot Swedberg’s stoppage-time finish on the slide, but it mattered little as Freiburg held on to secure their passage to the semi-finals with a 6-1 aggregate victory.
The result means Freiburg will face Portuguese side Braga in the semi-finals after the German club’s historic run in the competition. Before this season, Freiburg had never gone past the last 16 of the Europa League, having reached that stage in back-to-back campaigns in 2022-23 and 2023-24, losing to Juventus and West Ham respectively.
Speaking after the match, Freiburg captain Vincenzo Grifo expressed his delight at the team’s performance and excitement for the semi-final challenge ahead.
“I think that after going 1-0 up, we kind of took the wind out of their sails. In the dressing room, we knew that we’d created an incredibly good situation for ourselves,” Grifo explained. “And then it’s a matter of defending that.”
Julian Schuster was full of praise for his side after their unforgettable win in Spain, expressing a deep sense of gratitude for the moment.
“I feel a deep sense of gratitude. Gratitude that we acquire to experience exactly these moments together. Gratitude, too, that the team was able to prove it again today, that they picked up exactly where they left off last week—that this is anything but a given, but rather very, very impressive,” Schuster said.
Freiburg’s journey to the semi-finals has been marked by defensive resilience, having lost just two of their 12 games in this season’s Europa League campaign. The club now stands two games away from reaching the UEFA Europa League final, a feat no other Bundesliga side has achieved this season alongside Bayern Munich’s Champions League quarter-final victory over Real Madrid.
The victory in Vigo represents one of the greatest achievements in the club’s history, with Freiburg now set to write the next chapter of their European story against Braga in the semi-finals.
Fans can follow the club’s official channels for updates on the upcoming semi-final fixtures and ticket information as Freiburg prepares for this historic challenge.
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