'Not something you experience every day' - Freiburg and Mainz make history in Europe
VfB Stuttgart may have bowed out of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening, but it was a memorable night for two traditional Bundesliga minnows competing on the European stage this season.
Freiburg booked their place in the last eight of the Europa League in style, overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit to record a comprehensive 5-2 aggregate victory over Belgian side Genk.
Urs Fischer’s resurgent Mainz side also progressed in the UEFA Conference League, beating Czech side Sigma Olomouc 2-0 at the MEWA Arena after being held to a goalless draw in the first leg.
Both teams are through to a continental quarter-final for the first time ever – but neither Freiburg nor Mainz have had their fill of European nights just yet.
“It’s the most special thing you can experience as a footballer,” said Freiburg defender Matthias Ginter, who opened the scoring against Genk at the Europa-Park Stadion. “We’ve had a few of them in recent years. We’re very pleased to have gone through tonight.”
“It’s a very special evening,” added head coach Julian Schuster, who first joined the club as a player in 2008. “There were times when we were happy just to survive or gain promotion to the Bundesliga. Now we can celebrate reaching the Europa League quarter-finals.”
While Freiburg have competed in Europe in three of the past four seasons, Mainz are involved in continental competition for the first time since 2016/17, when they were eliminated in the Europa League group stage.
“You don’t get to experience this very often in your career,” grinned Danny da Costa, a member of the Eintracht Frankfurt side that lifted the Europa League in 2022. “I think everyone got caught up in it all today.
“It’s something I always loved [watching] as a child. Being involved yourself makes it all the sweeter.”
It was a particularly momentous evening for Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo, who scored his 106th goal for the club in all competitions to become the Black Forest outfit’s outright all-time leading scorer, surpassing club legend Nils Petersen’s tally of 105.
Watch: Grifo’s best Bundesliga goals
“To get the outright record is the icing on the cake tonight,” said the Italian, who drew level with former striker Petersen in Freiburg’s 3-3 draw with Bayer Leverkusen earlier this month. “It makes it even more enjoyable.”
Freiburg’s reward for ousting Genk is a quarter-final tie with Spanish side Celta Vigo. If they win that, either Braga or Real Betis await in the last four.
As for Mainz, they face a tricky last-eight tie against Conference League league-phase winners Strasbourg, with the victors taking on Rayo Vallecano or AEK Athens in the semis.
Neither Fischer nor Schuster will take their upcoming opponents lightly, but both will be quietly confident of creating further history in Europe before the 2025/26 season draws to a close.
“We’re very happy and proud to be able to continue our journey with our fantastic fans,” said the Freiburg boss, whose side also have a DFB Cup semi-final against Stuttgart to look forward to on 23 April. “It hasn’t been easy. The lads have worked incredibly hard.”
“It’s a wonderful achievement,” agreed Fischer – the mastermind behind Union Berlin’s remarkable run into the UEFA Champions League in 2022/23. “The supporters were outstanding and really spurred the lads on.
“Football can be crazy sometimes. This isn’t something you experience every day.”
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