Grifo free-kick and Eggestein strike seal opening win

SC Freiburg opened their 2026/27 UEFA Conference League campaign with a 3-2 home victory over FK Jablonec at the Europa-Park Stadion. Both clubs had come through qualifying ties against Scottish opposition to reach the league phase, and the Bundesliga side emerged victorious in their first meeting.

Julian Schuster's side, last season's Europa League finalists, made seven changes from the team that beat Schalke 04 2-1 on Sunday. Only goalkeeper Mio Backhaus, Matthias Ginter, Yuito Suzuki and Maximilian Eggestein kept their places. Lukas Kübler, Max Rosenfelder and captain Christian Günter came into the back four, Patrick Osterhage played alongside Eggestein in midfield, and Cyriaque Irié, Vincenzo Grifo and Lucas Höler led the attack. New German international Derry Scherhant was forced to pull out with an injury.

Early pressure and the opening goal

The hosts dominated the opening minutes. Irié twice reached the right side and went close, firing a venomous effort just over the crossbar in the seventh minute, and Kübler headed an Irié cross off the crossbar in the 12th minute. Rosenfelder's dribble in the 14th minute drew a tactical foul and a booking for Jablonec captain Nemanja Tekijaški, and from 18 metres Grifo curled the free-kick into the top corner in the 15th minute. It was a familiar weapon for the club's all-time record appearance holder and dead-ball specialist.

Jablonec equalise against the run of play

Freiburg kept pushing, with Grifo forcing saves and Kübler heading over, but the visitors levelled in the 28th minute. Backhaus was beaten by a deflection off Ginter after Antonín Růsek was given too much space in front of goal, and the strike was credited as an own goal for Ginter. The match was suddenly 1-1.

VAR drama restores lead

Freiburg responded after the restart, and the game turned in the 53rd minute. A long-range effort from Eggestein led to a corner, and in the resulting scramble Jablonec defender Dušan Pavlović inadvertently sent the ball over his own goal line. Referee Edgars Maļcevs initially disallowed the goal for a foul in the build-up, but after the Freiburg bench protested and the VAR team asked him to review the incident, he reversed his decision. Replays confirmed the ball had crossed the line, and the score stood at 2-1.

Eggestein seals the points

Eggestein doubled his personal tally in the 65th minute, rifling in from around 16 metres after Kübler laid off a blocked effort. It was his fourth goal across all competitions this season. Jablonec pulled one back in the fourth minute of added time, after a throw-in lapse, but the hosts held on.

Eggestein's persistent hustle simply cannot be ignored, covering a sensational amount of ground on his way to 92 touches and 82 passes, 98 percent of which connected.

Player ratings

Freiburg: Mio Backhaus (5); Lukas Kübler (6), Matthias Ginter (7), Max Rosenfelder (6), Christian Günter (6); Maximilian Eggestein (8), Patrick Osterhage (5); Cyriaque Irié (8), Yuito Suzuki (5), Vincenzo Grifo (8); Lucas Höler (6). Substitutes: Jordy Makengo (6), Igor Matanovic (7), Philipp Lienhart (6), Keisuke Goto (5).

Player of the Match: Maximilian Eggestein (8).

Freiburg next travel to Bayer Leverkusen and then AS Monaco, with the club unbeaten in all competitions this season. Schuster's win also marked his 100th game in charge of the club.