Freiburg is defeated by Frankfurt and loses place in the Champions League to Borussia
Eintracht Frankfurt deservedly won the decisive duel with SC Freiburg for Champions League qualification, securing third place in the final Bundesliga table. While SGE can look forward to the Champions League, Sport-Club Frankfurt is left with the consolation prize of the Europa League.
The do-or-die duel at the Europa-Park Stadium began with a delay – and bad news for the home team. Before the ball even rolled in Freiburg, Dortmund was already leading in the parallel match against Kiel, making the SC a must-win.
For this purpose, coach Julian Schuster had to temporarily dispense with Osterhage at midfield following the 2-1 win in Kiel . Manzambi moved back a row instead, while Höler was a newcomer to the starting eleven and took over the number 10 position. However, there was a complete lack of goal-scoring opportunities on either side, which was no surprise given the enormous importance of the game.
Atubolu prevents Frankfurt’s equaliser twice
Both Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt were reluctant to take any risks, with the hosts exerting more pressure. Sport-Club finally rewarded themselves with their first chance, putting Eintracht Frankfurt under pressure with Doan’s left-footed shot (27′).
The visitors, with Collins and Chaibi starting for the injured Tuta and Bahoya (not in the squad) in the 2-2 draw against St. Pauli , only switched into final mode after conceding the goal. Ekitiké twice denied the in-form Atubolu (33rd and 37th minutes) before Lienhart invited Frankfurt to equalize in stoppage time.
Because the Austrian failed to clear the ball, Knauff had a clear shot in front of Atubolu and put the ball into the net to equalize (45.+4).
Because Dortmund also led 2-0 in the parallel match at the start of the second half, the pressure on Freiburg to win to reach the Champions League increased. However, the hosts didn’t have any chances to take the lead again; instead, Frankfurt caused alarm in front of the opposing goal – and dashed Freiburg’s hopes of reaching the Champions League.
Frankfurt pulls the plug on the sports club
First, Kristensen’s long-range shot found its way perfectly into the bottom left corner (61′), and then, to top it all off, Skhiri added the third goal for SGE just two minutes later (63′). Freiburg now needed three goals to qualify for the Champions League, but, aside from his undeniable efforts, they couldn’t manage anything else.
Frankfurt defended confidently, held on to the win, and finished the 2024/25 Bundesliga season in third place, thus qualifying for the Champions League. Freiburg’s Sport-Club didn’t crown its strong first season under coach Schuster with a Champions League title, but they still managed to secure the consolation prize of the Europa League.
Both teams will thus end their season and will not compete again until the end of July for friendly matches as part of their summer preparations. Freiburg hosts regional league side SV Sandhausen on July 11. Frankfurt travels to the USA and plays at Louisville City on July 30.
