SC Freiburg preserved their unbeaten start to the season with a 2-1 win over Schalke, despite playing the final half-hour with 10 men. The result extended their run to eight matches in all competitions, with seven wins and one draw, and returned them to the top of the table on points with Borussia Dortmund.
Freiburg were one of only three unbeaten teams remaining in the Bundesliga at the start of the gameweek and made an immediate impression at home. They took the lead inside 10 minutes after sustained pressure.
Matthias Ginter’s header from Derry Scherhant’s corner was kept out by Schalke goalkeeper Mio Backhaus, but Maximilian Eggestein reacted quickest to the rebound and poked the ball into the net. It was his third league goal of the campaign.
Schalke, seeking to extend their own unbeaten run to four matches, gradually found a way into the game and equalised after half an hour from a set-piece.
Backhaus failed to deal cleanly with Robin Gosens’ corner, allowing the loose ball to fall to Kenan Karaman. The Schalke forward struck from just inside the penalty area to make it 1-1, with the two sides level at half-time after an evenly contested opening period.
Neither team was able to establish control early in the second half, but the balance shifted in Schalke’s favour shortly after the hour mark. Yuito Suzuki was sent off for the first time in his professional career after receiving a second booking, leaving Freiburg to play with 10 men.
The Japanese international was visibly frustrated by the decision, but Schalke were unable to take advantage of their numerical superiority.
Instead, Freiburg found a late winner in the 85th minute. Vincenzo Grifo delivered a floated cross into the penalty area, where Keisuke Goto rose highest to head the ball past Backhaus and secure an unlikely victory for Julian Schuster’s side.
The win lifted Freiburg back to the Bundesliga summit, level on points with Borussia Dortmund, and maintained what is shaping up to be another positive campaign for the Breisgau-Brasilianer.
Schalke manager Muslic will be disappointed that his side could not build on their equaliser or make the extra man count. Their three-match unbeaten run also came to an end.
Flashscore’s Man of the Match was Freiburg midfielder Maximilian Eggestein.