SC Freiburg lost their Europa League round‑of‑16 first leg at KRC Genk 0‑1. At the same time, 1. FSV Mainz 05 drew 0‑0 in the Conference League round‑of‑16 first leg against Sigma Olomouc.
In Genk, Zakaria El Ouahdi scored the only goal for the Belgian club in the 24th minute, striking from a tight angle inside the box to give the hosts the lead. Freiburg briefly celebrated after a 10th‑minute goal by Johan Manzambi, which was later ruled offside. The visitors’ best chance of the match came from Yuito Suzuki, whose effort hit the post in the 37th minute.
Mainz’s game in the Czech Republic finished goalless. The biggest opportunity for the visitors arose when Nelson Weiper’s shot in the 78th minute failed to beat goalkeeper Jakub Koutny. The hosts created chances late on, including a long‑range effort from Patrik Barath in the 88th minute, but no goals were scored. As a result, both ties will remain undecided heading into the return legs.
