Freiburg beat Union Berlin 2:0 with a Khedira own goal and a Suzuki finish

Khedira's own goal decides a first half without a Union shot

Freiburg had most of the ball in the opening 45 minutes, while Union set up with a back five and rarely got out of their own half. Rani Khedira often dropped from midfield into the back line, and Union went into the break without a shot on target. Freiburg's chances came mainly from Igor Matanovic, whose header was saved by Frederik Rönnow, and from Yuito Suzuki, whose low shot Rönnow turned onto the post. The halftime shot count differs by source: DIE WELT and Tagesspiegel give 12:0, while Berliner Zeitung counts 11:0, five of them on target, and 70 percent possession for Freiburg.

Beste's cross and the own goal after the break

Freiburg kept up the pressure after the restart and broke the deadlock in the 55th minute. Jan-Niklas Beste sent a sharp cross into the penalty area from the right, and Khedira steered it into his own net past Rönnow. Union had to push forward after going behind, but substitutes Oliver Burke and Wooyeong Jeong, who came on for Tim Skarke and Kastriot Imeri, created little. At the other end, a clearance by Jordy Makengo nearly led to a similar mistake, but the ball landed in the hands of Freiburg keeper Mio Backhaus. Freiburg had changed four positions in their starting line-up after their 1:0 win at Trabzonspor in the Conference League on Thursday, 5 November.

Suzuki doubles the lead and Rönnow saves a penalty

In the 67th minute Derry Scherhant played a pass into the space behind the Union defence, and Suzuki took it on the right side of the box. He lifted the ball over Rönnow from the edge of the six-yard area. In the closing stages Andras Schäfer fouled Keisuke Goto, and Freiburg were awarded a penalty in the 83rd minute. Vincenzo Grifo stepped up in the 84th minute, but Rönnow dived to the shooter's right and saved the kick. The stadium fell briefly silent in the final minutes after an emergency response in the Freiburg fan block.

Table position and what the result changes

With 19 points after nine matchdays, Freiburg are back in third and two points behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, the top two. Union remained on seven points in the relegation zone, and their run of four unbeaten Bundesliga matches ended. Freiburg's win was their fourth in a row in all competitions. Berliner Zeitung puts Union's away record at one point and a goal difference of 1:14. A crowd of 33,400 watched the match in Freiburg.

SC Freiburg19

1. FC Union Berlin7

SC Freiburg

19 points

1. FC Union Berlin

7 points

Data from the article text

Coaches on the result

Union coach Mauro Lustrinelli said he was mostly angry about the goals his side conceded, both of which followed individual errors.

“Freiburg deserved to win, that is clear. But the way the goals came about, after two individual mistakes, annoys me greatly.”

Freiburg coach Julian Schuster put his side's efficiency down to making the most of a few chances.

“Even if it is perhaps not five or six chances but only two or three, they have to be enough.”

After the match Horst Heldt, Union's manager, spoke to Dazn about the visitors' attacking play away from home.

“We have to play differently away from home, we have to be braver.”

Both clubs now head into the international break.