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Michael Gregoritsch came off the bench and gave Freiburg the win
Photo: Christian Kaspar-Bartke / Getty Images
Third attempt, first win: SC Freiburg escaped harmless in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Europa League and won its home game against Premier League club West Ham United 1-0 (0-0).
Substitute Michael Gregoritsch scored the decisive goal (82nd minute).
This is a big step forward for Christian Streich's team - in the group stage the home game against the Hammers ended 1:2, away there was a 0:2 defeat.
In order to move into the quarter-finals, a draw is enough at the next guest game in London (March 14th, 6:45 p.m., stream: RTL).
Initially, none of the teams in Freiburg were able to impress: the sports club and the guests from England left little room for combinations in the midfield, and they rarely went into the penalty areas.
More than half an hour passed before the first shot, which could be called a scoring opportunity, but Lucas Höler's harmless touch-down was just a warm-up exercise for West Ham goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański (31st minute).
West Ham counterattacked in the same minute, but Jarrod Bowen's effort went wide.
The break went into the break without a goal, after which the game picked up speed at a tranquil level: Roland Sallai made an artistic attempt, but his deflected side-kick didn't have the sharpness needed to overcome Fabiański (48th).
West Ham struggles, Gregoritsch scores
Then West Ham got stronger, Ritsu Doan cleared Lucas Paquetá for a corner at the far post (52').
It then became even more dangerous, former Stuttgart player Konstantinos Mavropanos' header failed to hit the outside post (53').
Bowen again created space in the penalty area by dribbling and shot, which Freiburg's goalkeeper Noah Atubolu parried well (64').
Then Streich changed his striker, took Höler off the pitch and brought on Gregoritsch - and, as in the round of 16 against Lens, he became the winning goal scorer: A sharp pass from Sallai rolled diagonally through the penalty area, Gregoritsch stood correctly and kept his foot in (82nd).
After his hat-trick in the group stage against Olympiakos Piraeus, Gregoritsch has now scored five goals in the current competition, one more than in the Bundesliga.
In stoppage time, the sports club still had to worry about its lead: West Ham's Tomáš Souček shot the ball into Noah Weißhaupt's hand from close range, referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández looked at the scene again - and gave Freiburg mercy.
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