The SC Freiburg secured a 3-1 victory against Motherwell FC in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League qualifying playoff, overcoming a stunning early deficit thanks to a historic brace from defender Matthias Ginter at Fir Park. According to match reports, the Bundesliga side bounced back immediately after conceding inside the opening two minutes to establish a commanding lead ahead of the return fixture in Germany.
Early Defensive Blunder Stuns Freiburg at Fir Park
The hosts caught the visitors cold right from the whistle. According to match accounts from regional broadcasters, Motherwell capitalized on passive defending down the right flank when Regan Charles-Cook beat central defender Max Rosenfelder to a cross and fired past new goalkeeper Mio Backhaus after just 60 seconds of play.
Freiburg dominated possession in response, though clear-cut openings proved hard to come by against a disciplined Scottish defense. Ginter tested Motherwell goalkeeper Alex Paulsen with a sharp turn and shot in the tenth minute, while striker Igor Matanovic fired a long-range effort that lacked sufficient power. Derry Scherhant also threatened from a dangerous free-kick awarded after Yuito Suzuki was tripped twenty yards out, curling his attempt just wide of the left-hand post.
Ginter Headers and VAR Drama Turn the Tide
The breakthrough for the German visitors arrived in the 28th minute. Scherhant whipped a precise free-kick from the left channel into the penalty area, where Ginter outmuscled his marker and steered a firm header into the far corner. The goal triggered a lengthy video assistant referee review lasting nearly five minutes to check for a potential foul by the German defender, but match officials ultimately validated the strike to level the score at 1-1.
Freiburg continued to press before the interval, with Paulsen denying Matanovic and right-back Philipp Treu with crucial stops. Despite controlling the tempo, the visitors went into halftime locked level in a scoreline that favored the hosts.
Penalty Drama and Career Milestone for the World Cup Winner
The game opened up after the interval as Motherwell attempted to push forward, but Freiburg remained the sharper attacking outfit. The turning point arrived when Suzuki slipped a clever pass through to Yannik Engelhardt, who was hauled down by Martin Moorman just as he shaped to shoot. Referee Radu Marian Petrescu consulted the VAR monitor following the incident and brandished a straight red card to Moorman in addition to awarding a penalty kick.
Ginter stepped up to the spot in the 65th minute and calmly converted, sending Paulsen the wrong way to net the first double of his professional career. Keisuke Goto then sealed the victory in the fifth minute of stoppage time by adding Freiburg’s third goal, leaving the Breisgau-Klubs in total control of the tie.
Squad Rotation and Upcoming Schedule
Coach Schuster opted to manage his squad depth for the trip to Scotland, leaving captain Christian Günter and Vincenzo Grifo—who signed a contract extension just a day prior—on the bench initially while handing debuts to summer arrivals Backhaus and Engelhardt. With a two-goal cushion secured on away soil, Freiburg will host Motherwell in the decisive second leg next week as they look to punch their ticket to the main stage of the Conference League.
