Matthias Ginter on Freiburg reaching the UEFA Europa League final: 'This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'
Having produced a remarkable second-leg turnaround to beat Braga 4-3 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals, Julian Schuster and co. are now dreaming of lifting the trophy against Aston Villa in Istanbul on 20 May.
Freiburg beat Braga to reach the Europa League final
Matthias Ginter: "We just need to take that final step now. We’ve come this far. We’re now facing the most important match in the club’s history, and we’re determined to win it. For Freiburg, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The whole day, the atmosphere – it was incredible."
Vincenzo Grifo: "We've had plenty of ups and downs this season. We've grown a bit closer as a team. If we're allowed to, we'll definitely be celebrating tonight. I don't think we'll be getting much sleep tonight."
Niklas Beste: "I'm a bit lost for words. It's hard to really take it in. I had tears in my eyes from joy. It's mad. A lot of things just went our way today, thank goodness. Now that we're in the final, we want to win the trophy too."
Igor Matanović: "It's brilliant. When we went out for the warm-up, I knew we were going to win the match. We were playing against ten men with 34,000 of us."
Julian Schuster (coach): "I feel an incredible sense of joy when I look at everyone’s faces. That’s what matters most today. I believe the most important thing is to know who you are. That’s what sets the people here in the region apart – they know what moments like these mean."
Freiburg will face English Premier League side Aston Villa in the final on 20 May with the chance to make history.
