Paris Brunner Sparks Monaco Victory Over Freiburg in Conference League Opener
SC Freiburg suffered their first defeat of the UEFA Conference League campaign on Thursday evening, falling 3-0 to AS Monaco. U21 international Paris Brunner opened the scoring with a stunning individual effort in stoppage time of the first half, before late goals from Lamine Camara and Ansu Fati sealed the result for the French side in front of Prince Albert.
The loss marks Freiburg’s second defeat in all competitions following a 2-1 Bundesliga setback against Bayer Leverkusen. Head coach Julian Schuster made four changes to his starting lineup for the European fixture, while leaving Philipp Lienhart out of the traveling squad entirely.
Engelhardt Injury Forces Early Freiburg Substitution
Freiburg’s difficult evening began well before Brunner’s breakthrough. Just 15 minutes into the match, defensive midfielder Yannik Engelhardt suffered a heavy collision with Monaco’s Lamine Camara and could not continue, forcing Schuster into an early substitution with Patrick Osterhage.
Despite roughly 800 traveling supporters making their voices heard in a half-empty stadium, Monaco controlled the tempo. Goalkeeper Mio Backhaus kept Freiburg in the match during the opening half-hour by turning away dangerous attempts from Mamadou Coulibaly and Brunner.
Brunner’s Individual Brilliance Breaks the Deadlock
The decisive moment of the first half arrived two minutes into stoppage time. Receiving the ball near the box, 20-year-old Paris Brunner lifted a delicate chip over defender Max Rosenfelder, nodded the ball into his own path, and finished decisively with his left foot.
The strike marked Brunner’s eighth goal in nine competitive appearances this season. The forward, born in Dortmund, received a warm ovation from the home crowd before being substituted in the 79th minute.
Late Pressure Fails to Yield an Equalizer
Freiburg pushed for an equalizer after the interval, with defender Lukas Kübler twice coming close from close range following a corner kick. Schuster introduced Lucas Höler, Philipp Treu, and Derry Scherhant to increase the attacking tempo, but Monaco’s defense—marshalled under coach Filipe Luís—held firm against a barrage of set pieces.
Monaco capitalized on Freiburg’s desperation in the closing stages. Following a midfield turnover, Ansu Fati was initially denied by Backhaus before Lamine Camara converted the rebound in the 83rd minute. In stoppage time, Fati added a third by turning Matthias Ginter inside the penalty area and firing past Backhaus to complete the 3-0 scoreline.
Freiburg Seeks Recovery in Domestic Action
SC Freiburg returns to domestic action as they look to recover from successive defeats in Europe and the Bundesliga. The German club will aim to regroup on the domestic front before their next continental fixture.
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