SC Freiburg fell 3-1 to Bayern Munich at the Europa-Park Stadion on Sunday evening, but it was the dramatic late push, ignited by an 82nd-minute own goal, that has winger Vincenzo Grifo talking about his side’s character. Julian Schuster’s team found themselves in a 2-0 hole at halftime after strikes from Dayot Upamecano and Serge Gnabry, facing a Bayern squad that showed off its elite quality early on.
High Press, High Risk
Grifo didn’t pull any punches, admitting Bayern’s quality meant Freiburg got “relatively few chances in the first half.” He explained their tactical gamble, saying, “We wanted to go man-for-man today. Against Bayern, we wanted to press high and give their players as little space as possible.” But that high-risk, high-reward approach came with a price. “If you lose a duel, the opposition can suddenly have a clear run towards goal, as happened with the first goal,” Grifo noted. The half-time team talk was crucial, with corrections made that led to “a lot more worked for us in the second half.”
The Belief That Almost Was Enough
Despite the tough start, Freiburg never truly gave up. At halftime, Grifo revealed they told themselves, “it could still be a dangerous scoreline, even for Bayern. If we score a goal, we’ll have the fans and the stadium behind us again.” That moment of hope arrived in the 82nd minute when a Tom Bischof own goal cut Bayern’s lead to 2-1. Suddenly, the Breisgau side was “back in the game” with “one or two opportunities.” Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig had to step up with some critical interventions to keep his team ahead before Michael Olise ultimately sealed the 3-1 victory in stoppage time. Grifo was encouraged by Freiburg’s late determination, pointing to “another free-kick towards the end, three or four corners, and those situations can always be dangerous.” He concluded, “We told ourselves that we always have to believe in ourselves. We have that quality, and that’s what we did. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the end.”
While the result didn’t go their way, Freiburg showed serious grit against one of the league’s top teams. That kind of self-belief, even in the face of a loss, is something to build on moving forward.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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