Table-topping Freiburg revel in record start
Despite being a man down for the last 25 minutes of their clash with Schalke at Europa-Park Stadion, Freiburg extended their record start to the season and reclaimed top spot in the Bundesliga table, causing Julian Schuster to shower praise on his players.
Going top of the standings after just three matchdays doesn't tend to attract that much attention, except among the fanbase directly involved. It's a different story when it occurs after five rounds and a long international break, however. With a resilient 2–1 victory over Schalke that rounded off Matchday 5, Freiburg have reclaimed first place and further cemented their status as one of the Bundesliga’s leading outfits.
“The lads should get huge credit for the way they played - I’m really proud,” said a beaming Schuster post-match, keen to emphasise magnanimously that Sunday's opponents made life difficult for his high-flying charges. “And credit to Schalke too; they’re a very tough side to break down.”
After Maximilian Eggestein’s early opener, Schalke equalised through Adrian Gantenbein in the 30th minute with their only on-target shot of the entire match. On the hour mark, Yuito Suzuki was shown a second yellow card and sent off, but this did not turn out to be the game-changing moment for the Royal Blues that their fans were hoping for.
“The boys took it in their stride and saw it through despite being a man down,” said Schuster, who could be forgiven for requesting a pat on the back himself. In the 83rd minute, Freiburg’s astute head coach brought on Keisuke Gotō and Vincenzo Grifo, who, shortly after entering the fray, combined impressively for the winning goal.
Bundesliga observers already knew that quality up front, strength down the wings and consistency were some of the ingredients behind Freiburg's blistering start to the 2026/27 campaign, which has seen the Breisgauers collect a record 13 points from five matches. Resilience and the occasional stroke of genius from their head coach can now be added to that ever-expanding list.
