SC Freiburg and VfL Wolfsburg shared the spoils in a competitive Bundesliga encounter at Europa-Park Stadion, with Philipp Lienhart's second-half equalizer canceling out Konstantinos Koulierakis's earlier strike.
Freiburg entered the match sitting eighth in the Bundesliga table with 43 points from 31 games. Wolfsburg, meanwhile, occupied 17th place with just 25 points, desperately seeking points to avoid the drop. The visitors arrived in poor form, having won just once in their last five matches. Freiburg's recent record showed more promise with a win-loss-win-loss-win sequence.
The opening half saw Freiburg control possession with 63 percent of the ball. The home side created chances but struggled to find the breakthrough. Wolfsburg defended deep and looked to hit on the counter-attack when opportunities arose. Neither team managed to break the deadlock before the interval, though both had chances to take the lead.
The second half brought immediate drama. In the 55th minute, Koulierakis struck first for Wolfsburg. The defender found space and fired past Noah Atubolu to give the visitors a shock lead. The goal came against the run of play and energized Wolfsburg's defensive efforts.
Freiburg responded quickly to the setback. Just 20 minutes later, in the 75th minute, Lienhart leveled the match. The defender showed composure to find the back of the net and restore parity. His strike sparked celebration among the home supporters and shifted momentum back toward Freiburg.
Matthias Ginter received a yellow card in the 57th minute for Freiburg. Wolfsburg's Mattias Svanberg also saw yellow later in the 81st minute. Both teams competed hard, but neither could find a winning goal despite late pressure.
The statistics told a story of Freiburg's dominance. The home side registered 11 total shots with three on target. Wolfsburg managed 13 shots but only four found the target. Expected goals favored Wolfsburg slightly at 0.92 compared to Freiburg's 0.75, suggesting the visitors created slightly better chances despite seeing less of the ball.
Freiburg's passing accuracy reached 84 percent with 502 total passes completed. Wolfsburg managed 70 percent accuracy from 283 passes. The hosts' control of the game was evident, though they could not convert their advantage into three points.
Atubolu made three crucial saves for Freiburg to keep his team in the contest. Wolfsburg's goalkeeper made two important stops to deny the home side earlier opportunities. Both keepers played vital roles in the final result.
The draw leaves Freiburg on 44 points from 32 games in eighth place. Wolfsburg remains in 17th with 26 points from 32 matches. The result offers Wolfsburg some breathing room in their battle against relegation, though they remain in danger. Freiburg's inability to capitalize on their superior play cost them valuable points in their push toward European qualification.
Both teams face crucial fixtures ahead. Freiburg must maintain their consistency to close the gap on the top six. Wolfsburg needs consecutive wins to climb clear of the drop zone and secure their Bundesliga status for next season.
