Ten-man Freiburg hang on to spoil Thioune’s debut | OneFootball

Jan-Niklas Beste’s superb first-half strike proved decisive for Julian Schuster’s side, who survived a tense finale following Johan Manzambi’s dismissal to keep their European push firmly on track.

Daniel Thioune’s first match in charge of Bremen began in dramatic fashion. After just 13 minutes, Justin Njinmah attempted an audacious overhead kick that forced Noah Atubolu into a sharp save. Freiburg immediately capitalised on the resulting clearance, breaking quickly as indecision in the Bremen back line allowed Igor Matanović to find Beste. The winger cut inside onto his left foot and curled a fine effort beyond Mio Backhaus to give the hosts the lead.

Buoyed by the opener, Freiburg almost doubled their advantage moments later. Christian Günter delivered a pinpoint cross onto the head of Matanović, whose close-range effort drew an outstanding reaction save from Backhaus.

Bremen remained patient, sticking to a clear game plan of sitting deep and waiting for openings on the counter. Their best spell of the half arrived shortly before the interval, with Keke Topp providing a lively presence up front, though Freiburg’s defence stood firm to preserve a 1-0 lead at the break.

The visitors were handed a lifeline just six minutes into the second half when Johan Manzambi was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for a heavy challenge on Olivier Deman. With a man advantage and plenty of time remaining, Bremen sensed an opportunity.

The contest opened up thereafter. Johannes Eggstein went close for Freiburg, before Romano Schmid forced Atubolu into a smart save shortly after the hour mark as Bremen began to apply sustained pressure.

With 15 minutes remaining, Freiburg thought they had sealed the points when Yuito Suzuki curled home from inside the area, only for the goal to be ruled out for a foul on Felix Agu. Thioune rang the changes in search of an equaliser, but frustration mounted as Freiburg defended resolutely to see out the victory at the Europa-Park Stadion.

It was an impressive display of grit and organisation from Freiburg, who remain seventh and firmly in the hunt for European qualification. For Bremen, it was a disappointing debut for Thioune, as his side struggled to create clear chances and slip into 16th place.