BY OUR MAN AT THE EUROPA-PARK STADION
SC FREIBURG made European history last night, dismantling KRC Genk in a 5-1 masterclass that saw records tumble and the Belgian visitors left in the dust.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Julian Schuster’s men didn’t just overturn the deficit—they buried it under an avalanche of goals to reach the Europa League quarter-finals for the first time ever.
GRIFO THE GREAT
The night belonged to one man: Vincenzo Grifo. The Italian magician didn’t just pull the strings; he wrote himself into the history books. With a clinical finish in the 53rd minute, Grifo bagged his 106th goal for the club, officially becoming Freiburg’s all-time leading scorer.
He set the tone early, whipping in a delicious free-kick for Matthias Ginter to flick home after 19 minutes. Six minutes later, it was two. Ginter turned provider, nodding a deflected Yuito Suzuki effort into the path of Igor Matanovic, who couldn’t miss from point-blank range.
BELGIAN BLIP
Genk briefly threatened to spoil the party when Matte Smets poked home after 18-year-old wonderkid Konstantinos Karetsas rattled the post. But the Belgian resistance was a mirage.
After the break, the “Suzuki Show” took over. The Japanese international was unplayable, dancing through the Genk defense to tee up Grifo for his record-breaking moment before firing home one of his own just four minutes later.
ROUT COMPLETE
By the time Maximilian Eggestein curled in a fifth ten minutes from the whistle—again assisted by the tireless Suzuki—Genk were begging for the referee to end their misery.
Freiburg now march into the final eight, where a date with Celta Vigo awaits. On this form, the Bundesliga boys won’t fear anyone.
