Igor Matanović scores and misses penalty as Freiburg recover to beat Cologne
Igor Matanović scored and missed a penalty as Freiburg came from behind to defeat Cologne at the Europa-Park Stadion.
Freiburg 2-1 Cologne
Goals: 0-1 Rosenfelder (own goal) 10’, 1-1 Scherhant 11’ (assist: Suzuki), 2-1 Matanović 44’
Pen missed: Matanović 66’
Freiburg were looking to stretch their impressive unbeaten home record to seven matches in Germany's top flight, with Augburg the only team to get the better of Julian Schuster's side in front of their own supporters this season.
The visitors, meanwhile, came into this fixture in confident spirits after ending an eight-match winless run with a 2-1 victory over Mainz last time out, which came courtesy of a well-taken brace from Ragnar Ache.
The Billy Goats made a bright start and were rewarded in the 10th minute, when Linton Maina's delivery from the left was turned into his own net by Max Rosenfelder as he attempted to beat Ache to the ball.
Freiburg's response, however, was almost instantaneous. Just 92 seconds later, Yuito Suzuki collected Maximilian Eggestein's knockdown before feeding Derry Scherhant, who calmly slotted past goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe to restore parity.
The hosts gradually took control after the equaliser and Matanović could have put them ahead with 20 minutes on the clock, but the striker failed to hit the target with his close-range effort. Maina forced a smart save from Noah Atubolu eight minutes before the interval, but Freiburg completed the turnaround when Matanović slammed home a loose ball after his initial header had rebounded off Matthias Ginter and back into his path.
Cologne emerged from the break with renewed purpose and created two excellent chances within minutes of the restart. Ache twice came close with headers, first nodding wide of the near post and then directing another over the crossbar.
Marius Bülter had a goal-bound effort brilliantly blocked by Lukas Kübler, but Freiburg were awarded a golden opportunity to extend their lead when Cologne defender Alessio Castro-Montes was judged to have handled Matanović's close-range drive inside the area. The former Eintracht Frankfurt striker took the resulting penalty, only for Schwäbe to dive the right way and parry the ball out of harm's way.
Lukas Kwasniok introduced Saïd El Mala late on but the visitors struggled to create further clear-cut chances, with Schwäbe having to keep out Niklas Beste and Lucas Höler at the other end. Despite the Cologne keeper's heroics, it was Freiburg who were celebrating at the final whistle.
Man of the Match: Marvin Schwäbe
Despite being on the losing side, Schwäbe delivered an eye-catching performance between the posts. His save from Matanović's penalty kept his side in the game in the second half, but the visitors were unable to find a way through at the other end of the pitch.
Schwäbe made several other important interventions, blocking Beste's powerful drive and producing a remarkable reflex save to prevent Höler from adding a third late on.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Freiburg 2.15 - Köln 1.33
Fastest player: Yuito Suzuki (Freiburg), 34.13 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-1 by Derry Scherhant (Freiburg), 17.01 percent
Most pressed player: Derry Scherhant (Freiburg), 16 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Yuito Suzuki (Freiburg), +2.89
Fantasy Heroes: Igor Matanović (Freiburg, 214 Points), Derry Scherhant (Freiburg, 213 Points), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg, 211 Points)
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