Freiburg falter to Frankfurt and Union win to claim the final CL spot
Frankfurt clawed back to defeat Freiburg, while Union narrowly beat Werder Bremen to claim the last Champions League spot in a wild final matchday.
| Vincenzo Grifo. | Photo: GEPA Pictures/Roger Petzsche |
Christian Streich went with a similar 3-4-3 formation to last week's win over Wolfsburg and Jesper Lindstrøm was fit enough to start again for Frankfurt. Mario Götze nearly scored in the 39th minute, but Matthias Ginter dived in front of the shot and headed the ball away from danger.
Then, just before halftime, Vincenzo Grifo scored after a failed clearance from Tuta. After a lengthy VAR review, the goal was given and Freiburg took a narrow 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
Union were drawing to Bremen at the break, meaning if the results stayed the same, Freiburg would jump the capital club into the Champions League places.
It didn't look like either side wanted to score in the second half as chances wore thin in a fairly uneventful 30-minute stretch. Frankfurt were holding far more possession and looked the more likely team to score next.
In the 79th minute, Randal Kolo Muani couldn't score on several headers as Freiburg continued to sit deep, hoping Bremen held on against Union. But, Rani Khedira scored in the 81st minute, meaning a Freiburg win still wouldn't be enough for a top four spot.
With about ten minutes remaining, a Kolo Muani rocket header evened up the game. Ritsu Doan and Michael Gregoritsch couldn't convert late chances and Frankfurt wrapped things up in extra time. Junior Dina Ebimbe scored to send the home crowd into a frenzy, ending Freiburg's dreams.
Union held on and claimed all three points against Bremen to officially end this crazy European battle. What a season it was.
