Berlin (AFP) - Freiburg continued to tighten the noose on Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, after achieving a comfortable victory over its guest Union Berlin 2-0, on Sunday, in the ninth round of the German Football League, to regain third place.

Published on: 08/11/2026 - 20:27

Freiburg imposed its advantage in the match, after Union Berlin captain, Rani Khedira, was forced to score an own goal (55), before Japanese Yuito Suzuki added the second goal (67), in a match during which the hosts’ captain, the Italian Vincenzo Grifo, missed a penalty kick.

Freiburg, runner-up in the last edition of the Europa League competition, raised its score to 19 points in third place, only two points behind Bayern and Dortmund, who share the lead with 21 points, with the goal advantage going to the Bavarian team.

Derry Shirhant, Freiburg's winger, said in statements to the "Dazon" network: "We knew that opportunities would come, and we succeeded in exploiting them optimally."

After an equal first half between the two teams, Freiburg appeared more convincing in the second half of the match, and succeeded in opening the scoring after intense offensive pressure forced Rani Khedira to intervene in an attempt to clear the ball, but he accidentally put it into his team's net.

In the 67th minute, Shirhant returned to play a decisive role, after passing a perfect dropped ball to Suzuki, who succeeded in scoring the net, adding the second goal for the hosts.

Freiburg would have been able to achieve a greater victory, had it not been for the brilliance of Union Berlin goalkeeper, Danish Frederik Rono, who saved a penalty kick taken by Grifo in the 84th minute, in addition to a number of other dangerous attempts.

With two goals from Spaniard Alex Garcia and Czech Patrik Schick, Bayer Leverkusen won the derby match with host Cologne 2-1, rising to fifth place.

Garcia opened the scoring with a wonderful, arching shot into the top corner after just seven minutes, before Cech added the second goal five minutes before the end in an exciting match that saw 11 yellow cards shown, including six for the hosts.

The rising German talent, Saeed Al-Mulla, scored the goal to reduce the difference for the hosts in stoppage time, but Cologne remained in fifteenth place, only one point behind the relegation play-off position.

This match is one of several derby matches in northwest Germany, which is passionate about football, as only 10 kilometers separate Cologne and Leverkusen.

The Leverkusen fans accompanying their team mocked the hosts with chants that evoked the 2023-2024 season, when Leverkusen won its first German League title, while Cologne was relegated to the second division.

Leverkusen succeeded in opening the scoring after only seven minutes, when Garcia's free kick passed over the human wall and settled in the upper left corner, while Cologne's goalkeeper Marvin Schwabe contented himself with watching.

Before the end of the first half, the Spaniard passed a ball to Jarrel Quansah alone, but the English centre-back headed it slightly to the side of the goal.

As Leverkusen's defense succeeded in limiting the hosts' threat, the frustration of the Cologne players increased, as they received five of their six yellow cards in the second half.

Shek had a goal disallowed for a handball 10 minutes before the end, but he made up for it just five minutes later, when he scored after a counterattack, scoring his eighth goal in nine league matches this season.

Al-Mulla scored a goal for Cologne in stoppage time, but it came too late.

© 2026 AFP

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