Having put further breathing space between themselves and the bottom three by beating FSV Mainz last time out, Koln came flying out of the blocks against Freiburg, and their early intent was rewarded with a breakthrough in the 10th minute. Linton Maina’s delivery into the box looked destined for Ragnar Ache, and in a desperate attempt to defend the situation, Max Rosenfelder diverted the ball past his own goalkeeper.
Despite their positive start, the visitors’ lead was short-lived, as Julian Schuster’s men restored parity just a minute later, with Derry Scherhant latching onto Yuito Suzuki’s through ball and lifting a cool finish over Marvin Schwäbe.
Grateful for that quickfire response, the hosts looked to take control of the contest as the first half progressed, but Igor Matanović somehow missed the target with a glorious close-range opportunity. At the other end, Cologne threatened to regain the lead, as Ache and Maina saw a couple of efforts thwarted by Noah Atubolu. Those saves proved to be crucial, with Freiburg moving ahead shortly before half-time, when Matanović made amends for his earlier miss, slotting home a loose ball in the box for his fifth Bundesliga goal of the campaign.
Determined to find a route back into the match, the visitors dominated the early stages of the second period, as Ache twice went close before Marius Bülter saw a long-range strike easily dealt with by Atubolu. Having survived Cologne’s pressure, Freiburg were given a golden chance to extend their lead when Alessio Castro-Montes was harshly penalised for a handball in the box, but Matanović’s penalty was smartly saved by Schwäbe.
Chances continued to flow at both ends of the pitch, with Ache directing a header wide from 12 yards, while Castro-Montes fired a free-kick narrowly over for the visitors. Schuster’s side could’ve added a third late on when Lucas Höler’s header was saved low down by Schwäbe, but they held on to their slender advantage to secure a hard-fought three points.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Matthias Ginter (SC Freiburg)