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Bundesliga Europa League representatives SC Freiburg managed to radically reverse their recent fortunes with a massive 5-1 win over KRC Genk in the second leg of their 2025/26 UEL Round-of-16 fixture on Thursday night. Just about literally everything went right for Julian Schuster’s Breisgauer.
Vincenzo Grifo’s vital 3-1 enabled the 32-year-old veteran to break the club’s all-time scoring record. Defender Matthias Ginter played so well that reporters were asked him about the German national team again. It certainly proved a night to remember at the Europa Park Stadion.
Afterwards, Mainz weren’t the only Bundesliga European representatives crediting their fans with helping them advance deep into a competition. Grifo – having taken his turn with the club supporters in the Kurve following the full time whistle – gushed over the SCF ultras.
Schuster at a loss for words
“I just can’t find the right words,” Schuster noted in his pitch side post match interview with RTL+. “Football just moves so fast. I just want to enjoy this moment For me, I’ve learned so much this year [Schuster’s second on the job]. I’ve just learned so much and learned how much this means given the challenges one faces.
“It’s a privilege to be a head coach and I have to thank my family,” Schuster continued. “At home, my wife has to put up with everything and allow me the chance to participate in such wonderful moments like this; ones that I absolutely live for.
Ginter in top form
“I don’t know, was I really playing that badly before?” Ginter jokingly asked after a second consecutive European performance worthy of the MOTM award whilst answering questions about the national team in the mixed zone. “I spoke with him [Julian Nagelsmann] on Tuesday and I was a little disappointed not to be nominated. I got my eight and ninth scorer points tonight.
“Yes, he called,” the 52-times-capped German international answered when asked to confirm that Nagelsmann phoned him personally. “It wasn’t that great. At least he told me that nothing had been completely settled yet. One shouldn’t say that it’s an unfair decision. It was just a sporting decision. Football is a daily grind. One gets a new chance every few days.
“I don’t understand it all,” Ginter concluded. “I don’t think it’s rocket science necessarily, but the only thing I can influence is my play on the pitch.“
Grifo thanks the fans for special choreos
“The fans were wonderful,” Grifo noted in his RTL+ interview. “I think they were working deep into the night yesterday evening preparing the choreography. Ultimately, they also play a significant role in creating that kind of energy here in the stadium. That naturally gives you a boost.
“At halftime, we said to ourselves: ‘Hey, we’ve turned the game around. It’s 0–0 [on aggregate] that was our goal’,” Grifo continued. “Maybe not everyone thought we could do it. We did.
“Of course, one works hard one’s entire career to reach such milestones,” Grifo said of his record. “It makes this evening all the more special. There’s great euphoria moving forward.“
