SC Freiburg secured its spot in the Europa League final with a 3-1 victory against Sporting Braga. This win effectively overturned the 1-2 loss suffered in the first leg.
The hosts gained an advantage early on due to a red card shown to Braga’s Mario Dorgeles after Jan-Niklas Beste committed the foul in the sixth minute. With one extra player, Freiburg quickly took control, scoring the first goal just before the twentieth minute. Lukas Kübler scored the opener from close range, following a failed header attempt by the opposition.
Braga maintained a compact defensive shape for a long period, but conceded another goal just before halftime. Johan Manzambi hit a superb shot from approximately 20 meters out in the 41st minute, making the score 2-0. The Portuguese team almost responded immediately but struck only the post, before a Freiburg defender blocked the shot.
Freiburg remained the more dangerous side even after the break. Vincenzo Grifo hit the outer post in the 47th minute, allowing Kübler to score his second goal in the 72nd minute, headed from a free-kick cross by Grifo, extending the lead to 3-0.
Despite being a man down, Braga did not give up and managed to pull one back in the 79th minute when Pau Víctor headed the ball in, making the score 1-3. Although Freiburg faced pressure during the final minutes, they held onto their lead, thus reaching a Europa League final for the first time.
