SC Freiburg moved to the top of the Bundesliga after beating FC Schalke 04 2:1 at SC Freiburg vs FC Schalke 04. Maximilian Eggestein put them ahead in the 10th minute after Matthias Ginter’s header was kept out by Loris Karius, Schalke levelled through Adrian Gantenbein and then Freiburg found a late winner through Keisuke Goto.

Freiburg's fast start

The win took Freiburg to 10 points from four Bundesliga matches, with a 3-1-0 record and a +9 goal difference. They have scored 12 and conceded 3, which is a strong opening by any standard and explains why they are setting the pace early in the season.

Julian Schuster also handed starts to three DFB debutants, Philipp Treu, Derry Scherhant and Yannik Engelhardt. After the strong start to the season, he said he was "positive that we can continue where we left off", and SPORT1 reported that the trio, along with substitute Max Rosenfelder, had "brought some momentum that can help us".

The moments that decided the game

The match was defined by swings rather than control. Yuito Suzuki was sent off with a second yellow card in the 64th minute, but Freiburg still found the decisive goal in the 85th minute through Goto. Even with 10 men in the closing stages, they kept enough discipline to turn a game that had briefly gone level back in their favour.

Eggestein's opener also fits the way Freiburg have started. He now has 3 Bundesliga goals in 5 appearances, while Goto's winner was his first Bundesliga goal. Schalke's equaliser was Gantenbein's first Bundesliga goal too, but it did not change the result. Freiburg now go into their next league match away to Bayer Leverkusen's rivals?

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →