Bremen were searching for a victory which would move them one step closer to securing a second successive season in the German top-flight, while the Breisgau Brazilians had much loftier ambitions.
And with immense pressure on both teams to achieve their respective goals, neither of the sides were able to click into their attacking groove in the first half.
It was clear to see that Bremen were particularly lamenting the absence of influential top-scorer Niclas Fullkrug, who has found the net 16 times this season but was unavailable through injury.
Freiburg needed a goal to become the 21st club to score 1,000 times in the Bundesliga, but they were offering very little going forward.
Their best opportunity before the break came when Vincenzo Grifo – the league’s top-scorer of set-piece goals (10), and a golden boot rival for Fullkrug – saw his free-kick from 30 yards pushed to safety by Jiri Pavlenka.
In total contrast to a lacklustre first 45 minutes, the game got the boost it needed just 50 seconds after the restart. Bremen countered at pace, before Leonardo Bittencourt advanced into the area and squared to the unmarked Maximilian Philipp, who went some way towards filling the sizeable boots of the absent Fullkrug, as he rolled the ball into an empty net to give the hosts the lead.
And the striker could have doubled his side’s lead shortly after, but his acrobatic effort was brilliantly saved by Mark Flekken from point-blank range.
This would prove to be the turning point, as within the space of five minutes, Lucas Holer and Roland Sallai combined to turn the game completely on its head.
After the latter’s powerful first-time volley from Holer’s header had levelled the game and etched Freiburg’s place in Bundesliga goal scoring history, Sallai turned provider when his inch-perfect cross into the area was glanced into the right-hand corner to stun the Wesserstadion into silence.
Bremen were ultimately unable to recover from this body blow, and the wait to guarantee their place in Germany’s top echelon goes on, as their cushion to the dread drop zone is cut to eight points.
Freiburg, meanwhile, moved to within a point of the UCL places, having played a game more than fourth-placed Union Berlin.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lucas Holer (Freiburg)
