SC Freiburg beat Werder Bremen 4-1 as Yuito Suzuki nets hat-trick on opening day
SC Freiburg opened their Bundesliga season with a 4-1 victory over SV Werder Bremen, led by three goals from Japanese forward Yuito Suzuki in Freiburg.
Suzuki leads Freiburg to opening round win
SC Freiburg defeated SV Werder Bremen 4-1 at the Europa-Park Stadion in the opening round of the Bundesliga season. Japanese forward Yuito Suzuki scored three times, recording his first Bundesliga hat-trick in his 26th league appearance. The victory marked Freiburg's fourth consecutive competitive win of the campaign, following previous successes in the DFB-Pokal against Fortuna Düsseldorf and two Conference League play-off legs against FC Motherwell. Werder Bremen have now lost five consecutive matches against Freiburg and have not won a Bundesliga season opener since 2013. The result leaves Bremen in 16th place ahead of the final fixture of the opening matchday.
- Yuito Suzuki opens the scoring with a header from Niklas Beste's corner kick
- Igor Matanovic doubles the lead with a 20-meter strike into the bottom left corner
- Yuito Suzuki scores from close range following Derry Scherhant's cross
- Yuito Suzuki completes his hat-trick after receiving a pass from Igor Matanovic
- Dariusz Stalmach scores Werder Bremen's lone goal with a header from a corner
First-half control and Matanovic's strike
The match began with both sides probing cautiously in front of 34,700 spectators in a sold-out stadium. Freiburg began asserting territorial control after twenty minutes, creating their first chance when former Bremen midfielder Maximilian Eggestein sent a low drive just wide of the post in the 19th minute. Ten minutes later, Niklas Beste delivered a corner that Suzuki headed into the net unmarked to open the scoring. Beste came close to doubling the advantage in the 41st minute with a long-range effort that sailed over the bar. Just before the interval, Croatian international Igor Matanovic scored Freiburg's second with a 20-meter strike into the bottom left corner, recording his fourth goal of the season across all competitions.
Second-half surge and Füllkrug's quiet return
Freiburg extended their advantage immediately after the break when Derry Scherhant dribbled down the left wing and crossed for Suzuki to tap home in the 48th minute. Seven minutes later, Suzuki completed his hat-trick by finishing a return pass from Matanovic after Bremen lost possession. Striker Niclas Füllkrug, returning to the Bundesliga on loan from West Ham United following an earlier spell at AC Milan, struggled to make an impression on the match. The 33-year-old forward was dispossessed in the penalty area by Lukas Kübler in Kübler's 200th Bundesliga appearance and was substituted off after 60 minutes. Bremen scored a consolation goal in the 76th minute when substitute Dariusz Stalmach headed home from a Marco Grüll corner, beating former Bremen goalkeeper Mio Backhaus, who joined Freiburg this summer for a record transfer fee of €12 million.
Stage injury leaves Werder searching for solutions
Bremen entered the match having learned of a squad setback less than 24 hours earlier. Danish midfielder Jens Stage, Werder's leading goalscorer over the previous two seasons, suffered a severe thigh muscle injury during Saturday's final training session. Medical assessments confirmed that Stage will remain sidelined for several months through the end of the year. Werder head coach Daniel Thioune addressed the loss before kickoff on DAZN:
He is an absolute key player and is difficult to replace.
Sporting director Clemens Fritz described the injury as a significant blow to the squad's preparations:
That is a huge shock.
Fritz stated that the club is actively seeking a replacement before the transfer window closes on Tuesday, with media reports linking Werder to a potential loan move for Ajax midfielder Youri Regeer.
