Freiburg takes a giant step towards the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Freiburg asserts itself with authority and takes a giant step towards the semi-finals of the Europa League

In a display of absolute dominance, Freiburg shone at home once again and took a nearly definitive step towards the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League by defeating Celta Vigo 3-0 at the Europa-Park Stadion. This tenth consecutive victory in European matches on German soil confirms the strength of the Breisgau team, which now heads into the second leg of the tie with a comfortable advantage.

This historic moment for Freiburg, which reached the quarter-finals of a UEFA competition for the first time after eliminating Genk with an aggregate score of 5-2, comes after a bitter weekend in the Bundesliga. The team nearly surprised the dominant champions Bayern Munich, but conceded two goals in stoppage time and ended up losing 3-2, a result that the team seemed determined to rectify with a fierce and controlled performance against the Spaniards.

From the initial whistle, Freiburg demonstrated superiority. Igor Matanovic had a clear chance just two minutes in, heading over the bar, while Maximilian Eggestein forced goalkeeper Ionut Radu into a tight save. But in the 10th minute, it was Vincenzo Grifo, the club’s great living legend and recently named all-time top scorer for Freiburg, who opened the scoring with a curved, placed shot from outside the area that found the bottom corner of the Spanish goal.

Celta, despite dominating possession, failed to convert that into real danger, and the German team punished their opponent’s inefficacy shortly after the 30-minute mark. Matanovic, demonstrating intelligence and vision, opted to pass instead of taking a tight shot, assisting Jan-Niklas Beste, who merely had to tap in for 2-0. Freiburg could have increased their lead even further before halftime, but a shot from Johan Manzambi was blocked by the post.

In the second half, Freiburg continued to control the game, keeping Celta without any shots on target, which was surprising considering the Spaniards had been the team with the most goals scored in the competition up to that point. Still, Grifo came close to making it three with a low shot, safely saved by Radu. Freiburg’s defense proved impenetrable, completely nullifying Celta’s attempts, with their best moment being a shot wide from Fer Lopez.

In the 75th minute, Matthias Ginter scored the goal that practically sealed qualification, heading in at the far post after a perfectly taken corner. With this result, Freiburg is one step away from their second semi-final of the season, having already reached the last four of the DFB Pokal.

For Celta Vigo, this defeat marks their first in nine away matches across all competitions and demands a strong response in the second leg on Spanish soil, where they will need to overcome this significant deficit to hope for a second appearance in the semi-finals of the Europa League in their history.

Vincenzo Grifo, the hero of the night, once again demonstrated why he is a key player for Freiburg, as the German team continues to prove that they are reinventing themselves in the European landscape with a mix of talent, organization, and fierce ambition.

The second leg promises to be a real test for Celta, but at this moment, Freiburg is the clear favorite to secure a place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League.

This article first appeared on Apito Final.