SC Freiburg secured their place in the UEFA Europa League final after a 3-1 victory over Sporting Braga on Thursday, overturning a first-leg deficit to win 4-3 on aggregate. The German side will now face Aston Villa in the final, marking a historic achievement for the club.
The match turned early for the hosts when Braga winger Dorgeles was shown a straight red card just seven minutes into the game for a last-man foul on Jan-Niklas Beste. This dismissal proved costly for the visitors, who had carried a narrow advantage into the second leg following a late goal from Dorgeles in the opening fixture.
Freiburg capitalized on the numerical advantage in the 19th minute. A clearance from Braga’s Vitor Carvalho struck an on-rushing Lukas Kuebler, with the ball trickling into the net to open the scoring. Shortly before half-time, Johan Manzambi doubled the lead with a curling strike from distance, putting Freiburg ahead in the aggregate tie for the first time.
Kuebler extended the lead further in the second half, heading in a precise free-kick from Vincenzo Grifo to provide the hosts with a two-goal cushion. Although Pau Victor managed to head in a cross with 11 minutes remaining to narrow the gap, Freiburg held firm to secure the win.
The visitors attempted a late comeback, but were denied by a series of acrobatic saves from Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu. At the final whistle, jubilant fans stormed the pitch to celebrate the club reaching its second major final, following their 2022 German Cup appearance.
Reflecting on the result, Kuebler described the night as a “dream come true” and praised the home support. “The atmosphere was unbelievable throughout — the fans carried us,” he added.
Freiburg defender Matthias Ginter, a 2014 World Cup winner, acknowledged the significance of the victory. “This was the most important home match in the club’s history,” Ginter stated, while emphasizing that the team is now focused on the final. “And now we’ve got the biggest match in the club’s history — and we’re going to give it a real go.”
The loss ended Braga’s hopes of reaching their first European final since 2011. Despite a resilient performance that included a spectacular double save from goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek in the 68th minute, the Portuguese side could not overcome the early disadvantage.
Freiburg now heads to Istanbul to face Aston Villa. The club, which has never won a major trophy or qualified for the Champions League, has the opportunity to achieve both milestones in the upcoming final.
Kuebler’s opener and Johan Manzambi’s brilliant effort had the hosts 2-0 up and one ahead in the tie by half-time.
The defeat ended Braga’s hopes of returning to the Europa League final for the first time since 2011, when they lost 1-0 to domestic rivals Porto.
The hosts took the lead with 19 minutes gone when Braga’s Vitor Carvalho’s clearance hit an on-rushing Kuebler and trickled in at the far post.
Braga coach Carlos Vicens rewarded the Ivorian, naming him in the starting XI in the only change.
