Freiburg overpower Celta Vigo to seal stunning UEFA Europa League win

Freiburg sealed a momentous 3-0 home win against Celta Vigo in their UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg to give themselves a great chance of advancing to the last four.

Freiburg 3-0 Celta Vigo
Goals: 1-0 Grifo 10' (assist: Manzambi), 2-0 Beste 32' (assist: Matanović), 3-0 Ginter 78' (assist: Beste)

Freiburg made the perfect start to their maiden European quarter-final appearance as captain Vincenzo Grifo curled a wonderful shot into the far corner after just 10 minutes.

Jan-Niklas Beste made it 2–0 before the break, finishing off a sweeping team move. Veteran defender Matthias Ginter put the seal on the win in the second half after heading home from a neatly worked corner routine.

Freiburg were great value for their win, with Celta Vigo’s one and only big chance not falling until the 87th minute.

The job isn’t done for Julian Schuster’s men, who have to go to Spain for the second leg on 16 April. However, they have given themselves a great chance of reaching the semi-finals after a near-faultless display at Europa-Park Stadion.

As it happened!

3 - 0

(2 - 0)

Freiburg

FINAL

Vigo

Europa League
Quarter-finals, first leg Quarter-finals, first leg Europa-Park Stadion

Full-time

Full-time: Freiburg 3-0 Celta Vigo

A dream European evening for Freiburg, who secured a perfect starting position for the second leg with their 3-0 first-leg victory. The hosts were dominant on the night, sealing the win thanks to goals from Grifo, Beste, and Ginter. They now have a first European semi-final firmly within their sights.

© IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Thomas Hess

90'

+ 1

Four minutes added on

Freiburg are almost there. It's been a terrific performance today, perhaps their best of the season.

90'

Freiburg sub

Goalscorer Beste departs to a great reception. He is replaced by Kübler for the final few minutes.

89'

Substitution

Lukas Kübler

Niklas Beste

87'

Höler can't convert

At the other end of the pitch, Höler races through on goal after a quick Freiburg counter. He shoots from just inside the Celta box, but Radu gets just enough on the ball to divert it into the side netting.

85'

What a miss!

Lopez finds himself free inside the Freiburg six-yard box after a cross from the left side. He takes the shot first time on the volley, but fires half a yard wide of Atubolu's right post. That was a let-off for the Bundesliga side.

80'

Freiburg aren't done yet...

Schuster's side are keeping their foot on the gas here. Scherhant's free-kick from the right is cleared by Celta, but not convincingly.

Ginter makes it three!

Incredible! Matanović earns a corner kick through persistent pressure. From the resulting Scherhant cross, Ginter rises highest and heads the ball in from the left edge of the six-yard box. What a night this is turning into for the home fans.

© IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Thomas Hess

77'

Matthias Ginter

GOAL!

3:0

74'

Substitution

Derry Scherhant

Vincenzo Grifo

74'

Substitution

Lucas Höler

Yuito Suzuki

70'

Iglesias tries his luck...

It's the best chance the visitors have mustered up - which says a lot. The Celta striker unleashes a powerful shot from just outside the Freiburg box, but the ball whizzes about half a metre over Atubolu's crossbar.

67'

One-sided tie so far

Atubolu has not been forced into action yet in the Freiburg goal.

Shots on goal

5

0

67'

Suzuki can't keep his balance

It's another well-worked attacking move from Freiburg. The ball eventually comes to Suzuki with room to run into, but he loses his footing slightly and can no longer control the ball. It's a shame from the home side's perspective, as they really should have scored a third goal by now.

63'

Vecino comes on for Celta

The midfielder is on for the final 30 minutes, replacing Sotelo. There is still no sign of captain Aspas just yet...

62'

Substitution

Vecino

Sotelo

60'

Both players are back on their feet

Treu was bleeding from the head, but thankfully, both men look to have recovered and should now be able to continue playing.

57'

Clash of heads

There is a painful coming together between Jutglá and Treu inside Freiburg box, as both were contesting for the ball in the air. They are currently receiving treatment on the pitch.

53'

Direct play from Makengo

The left-back is bombing forward again looking to make inroads. He gets the better of Carreira and reaches the byline, but his attempted pull-back is well blocked

50'

Freiburg reassert control

The second half begins much more calmly than the first, but Freiburg continue to dominate proceedings.

47'

Substitution

López

Rodríguez

47'

Substitution

El Abdellaoui

Swedberg

47'

Back underway!

The ball is rolling again for the second half. Rather unsurprisingly, Celta have made two changes...

Kick-off!

0:47

Grifo's Bundesliga goals and assists in 25/26

The veteran winger can add tonight's strike to his impressive catalogue of goals this season.

Half-time: Freiburg 2-0 Celta Vigo

I don't think even the most optimistic of Freiburg fans will have seen that half coming. The hosts were dominant from start to finish, and frankly, could have notched three or four goals to be well out of sight. Grifo's opener was all about individual brilliance, while Beste's goal showcased teamwork at its finest. Manzambi, who has been the best player on the pitch so far, hit the post not long after the second goal to underline the disparity between the two sides. Celta, by contrast, have had just one shot to Freiburg's eight.

© IMAGO/Kjetil Waber

Half-time

45'

One minute added on

Half-time is almost upon us...

42'

Manzambi's all-action display

The youngster initially struggles near his own penalty area but skilfully saves the ball. Freiburg then move the ball forward, and in the end, Manzambi even gets a shot off, but it's blocked. He has been everywhere so far.

38'

Misplaced Atubolu pass

Atubolu has a small moment after putting Treu in trouble with a misplaced pass. In the end, it only results in a throw-in, which also comes to nothing.

34'

Manzambi rattles the post!

Freiburg are playing with perfect cohesion here. The next beautiful combination feeds Manzambi, who blasts the ball against the right-hand post from a difficult angle.

31'

Freiburg double their lead!

What a move this is! It all comes from Treu's persistence, who flicks the ball on to Matanović inside the Celta box. He gets to the byline down the right channel, and drills a cross into the six-yard area, where Beste is waiting to tap the ball in. The hosts have been sensational so far tonight.

31'

Niklas Beste

GOAL!

2:0

28'

Free-kick chance wasted

Manzambi has the chance to fire a dangerous ball to the Celta penalty area. His effort doesn't trouble the Celta backline, however.

25'

Makengo on the charge

Freiburg's counter-pressing is proving to be very effective, as the visitors can barely get across the halfway line at the minute. The latest Freiburg attack comes courtesy of left-back Makengo, but he is outpaced.

20'

Manzambi sharp so far

The midfielder has been causing Celta all sorts of problems with his movement. Ostensibly playing as a defensive midfielder, he keeps popping up on the left to assist with Freiburg's impressive build-up play.

16'

Ginter to the rescue

Mingueza drifts out to the left wing and whips a ball into the Freiburg box. In the end, Ginter it able to clear it ahead of Iglesias.

16'

Celta respond

For the first time tonight, Celta are retaining possession and looking to make things happen in the final third. Freiburg look very organised for the time being.

13'

Freiburg dominant

Celta have barely had a touch in Freiburg's half so far. Schuster's men are hogging the ball, and look dangerous every time they advance forward.

What a hit!

That was wonderful from Grifo! The captain receives the ball at the edge of the Celta box and curls it perfectly into the bottom right corner. It's a dream start from the home side, who have been well on top so far.

© IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Thomas Hess

10'

Vincenzo Grifo

GOAL!

1:0

7'

Close from Suzuki!

It's been all Freiburg early on. Manzambi plays a clever through ball down the left channel for Suzuki, who checks back onto his right foot, and flashes a shot across the Celta six-yard box. However, it evades everyone and goes out for a goal-kick. These are encouraging early signs for Schuster...

3'

First shot for the hosts

Freiburg have started brilliantly, dominating possession in the opening minutes. Eggestein, back in the starting XI after suspension, has the first shot from range, but it's a simple take for the Celta stopper.

1'

We're underway!

Here we go then. Freiburg get the game going in their all-red kit, while Celta are in blue and white.

Kick-off!

More on that Celta Vigo side

Celta boss Giráldez has made two changes from the side that beat Valencia 3-2 last weekend. Swedberg and Iglesias replace Álvarez and Dúran in the starting line-up, while club captain Iago Aspas returns to the bench after a spell on the sidelines.

© IMAGO/Pedro Mina / PRESSIN

More on that Freiburg side

Schuster has made three changes from the side that lost against Bayern Munich last weekend. Makengo and Grifo replace Günter and Scherhant in the first eleven, with Matanović leading the line ahead of Höler.

© IMAGO/Grant Hubbs

Celta Vigo starting line-up

Radu - Rodríguez, Aidoo, Alonso, Mingueza - Jutglà, Sotelo, Moriba - Carreira, Iglesias, Swedberg

Celta Vigo subs

Villar, López, Aspas, Cervi, Fernández, Núnez, Vecino, Durán, Dominguez, Lago, Antanon, El-Abdellaoui

Starting line-up: Freiburg

Formation:4-2-3-1

1

Noah Atubolu

3

Philipp Lienhart

8

Maximilian Eggestein

14

Yuito Suzuki

19

Niklas Beste

28

Matthias Ginter

29

Philipp Treu

31

Igor Matanović

32

Vincenzo Grifo

33

Jordy Makengo

44

Johan Manzambi

Freiburg subs

Jung, Scherhant, Höler, Kübler, Müller, Irié, Huth, Philipp, Höfler, Günter, Ogbus, Tarnutzer

German consistency in the Europa League

No nation has had more teams make the quarter-final of the UEFA Cup/Europa League than Germany. Freiburg are the 22nd German side to make this stage of the competition.

© IMAGO/Arne Amberg

Matanović praise

Matanović enjoyed Höler's performance: "I have to congratulate my fellow striker for his very intense performance, and he deserved a goal. I was really pleased for him."

© IMAGO/Hendrik Hamelau

Höler reaches milestone

Lukas Höler started - and scored - against Bayern at the weekend as Matanović was rested. It was also the experienced forward's 300th competitive appearance for Freiburg - he's only the sixth player to achieve the mark for the Black Forest club.

© IMAGO/Arne Amberg

Celta coach on Freiburg

"They have been more aggressive in recent games, they went man-to-man against Bayern," explained Celta coach Claudio Giráldez in his analysis of Freiburg. "It's German football. We expect more something like that than something conservative. They are solid, don't concede many, and are good at home - they've won all their European home games."

© Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey

Julian Schuster on facing Vigo

"Celta's biggest strength is their flexibility. In terms of their approach, they can do anything. We're not resting on our laurels now that we've achieved something historic. We're motivated to go further and beat Celta."

© IMAGO/Ralf Brueck

Freiburg's route to the Europa League final

Should the Bundesliga club get past Celta Vigo, they will face either Braga or Real Betis in the semi-final. Possible final opponents include Nottingham Forest, Bologna, Aston Villa and Porto - who knocked out Stuttgart in the last round.

© Diogo Cardoso

Iago Aspas and Mathías Vecino cleared to play

The Celta Vigo duo have been struggling with fitness issues, but both are expected to return for the Freiburg clash.

© IMAGO/Pedro Mina / PRESSIN

Grifo gets goals

The ever-dependable Vincenzo Grifo was on the scoresheet in Freiburg's thumping 5-1 second-leg win over Genk in the previous round. His third goal in the current UEFA Europa League makes him his club's top scorer.

© IMAGO/Arne Amberg

Clash of extremes

Freiburg have conceded the joint fewest goals in this season's UEFA Europa League (six), while Celta Vigo have scored the joint most in the competition (21).

© IMAGO/Ralf Brueck

Early Celta Vigo team news

Right-back Javi Rueda (pictured), who scored the opening goal of Celta's crucial 2-0 win in Lyon in the last round, is suspended for Thursday night's clash while young midfielder Miguel Román carried the sole injury issue at the start of the week with a long-term foot problem.

© IMAGO/Diego Simon

Early Freiburg team news

Jordy Makengo and Patrick Osterhage were added to Freiburg's injury list before the defeat against Bayern Munich on Saturday, while striker Lucas Höler came off with a thigh complaint. On the other hand, the club's top scorer in the Bundesliga, Igor Matanović (pictured), is likely to be ready to start against Celta Vigo after being rested following his travel to the USA with Croatia during the international break.

© IMAGO/Ralf Brueck

Celta Vigo win ahead of UEL match-up

The Spanish outfit fought back from a goal down to secure a 3-2 win in Valencia with Ilaix Moriba, Fer López and Williot Swedberg finding the net to extend Vigo's unbeaten run away from home to eight games (four wins, four draws) across all competitions.

© Aitor Alcalde

1:07

Freiburg 2-3 Bayern Munich - highlights

Johan Manzambi and Lucas Höler fired Freiburg into a 2-0 lead against Germany's record champions, who responded late on with a brace from Tom Bischof before Lennart Karl's late stoppage-time winner inflicted an 11th Bundesliga defeat of the season on the Black Forest club.

Room for improvement

Celta have lost their last three European games against German opposition, including a 2-1 reverse at VfB Stuttgart in this season's Europa League league phase. They triumphed 2-1 on aggregate against VfB in the fourth round of the 2000/01 UEFA Cup but were no match for Werder Bremen in 2006/07, losing 3-0 on aggregate in the last 16 of the competition.

© Alex Grimm

We meet at last!

This is the first-ever meeting between Freiburg and Celta in UEFA competition. The Black Forest club's only previous encounters with Spanish opposition came back in 2013/14, when they were twice beaten 2-0 by Sevilla in the Europa League group stage.

© imago sportfotodienst

Impressive European form

Celta are unbeaten in their last six Europa League matches (W4 D2). This is their fifth quarter‑final appearance in the competition but their first since 2016/17, when they defeated Belgian club Genk 4-3 on aggregate to set up a semi-final with eventual tournament winners Manchester United.

© IMAGO/Pedro Mina / PRESSIN

Ten home wins in a row?

European quarter‑final debutants Freiburg have lost only two of their last ten UEFA matches, winning six and drawing the other two. Victory over Celta would be their tenth consecutive continental win in front of their own supporters.

© IMAGO/Frank Scherer / SPP

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg between Freiburg and Celta Vigo.

About the clubs

Freiburg

Europa-Park Stadion