Considering how the match began, it would have been no surprise if either team broke the deadlock in the opening minutes. Freiburg center-back Matthias Ginter first spurned a chance from inside the box, before Florian Kainz almost handed Cologne the lead with a low drive that forced Mark Flekken into a save at full stretch.
Chances at both ends continued to entertain the Europa-Park Stadion, and the home supporters looked more than pleased with the way their side controlled proceedings despite not being able to draw first blood. However, the Billy Goats raised the stakes as the final minutes of the first period dawned, with Ellyes Skhiri squandering an amazing opportunity high above the crossbar from a few yards out.
Freiburg did eventually take the lead within minutes of the restart, following a counterattack that was brilliantly drilled into the bottom corner by Jeong Woo-yeong. Steffen Baumgart’s men were stunned, and found themselves two down just 11 minutes later from Michael Gregoristch’s fantastic header on the back of Ginter’s inch-perfect cross – registering a first-ever goal against the Billy Goats in 10 personal head-to-heads.
Unable to threaten the Freiburg goal, the Billy Goats ultimately fell to a third straight league defeat on the road, part of a run of eight losses from their last 12 away head-to-heads. Meanwhile, the hosts find themselves on cloud nine, adding yet another three points to their best-ever start to a Bundesliga season, daring their fans to dream of a first ever qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Matthias Ginter (Freiburg)
