Union Berlin snatch a late winner in snooze fest against Freiburg | OneFootball

SC Freiburg and Union Berlin had to almost settle for the fourth 0-0 draw in six games, before Woo-Yeong Jeong snatched a late and important winner for the guests. It was a Bundesliga match defined more by defensive organisation than attacking brilliance.

Union arrived in Freiburg already dealing with two significant absences. Centre-back Leopold Querfeld missed the match through suspension, while first-choice goalkeeper Frederik Rønnow suffered an injury shortly before this game after twisting his ankle, forcing the visitors into a late change between the posts.

Much like the reverse fixture earlier this season, clear chances were few and far between.

Union came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 19th minute. Andrej Ilić controlled the ball well on the edge of the penalty area, setting himself up for a quick shot that narrowly missed the target.

Freiburg’s attacking approach largely focused on the wings. Cyriaque Irié and Derry Scherhant repeatedly found space on the flanks and managed several attempts on goal, but neither could find the finishing touch.

For the hosts, it became clear that getting their strikers into the game would be key after the break, with Lucas Höler and Igor Matanović largely kept quiet by Union’s disciplined defensive structure. The Berlin side, meanwhile, looked most likely to threaten through set pieces such as free kicks or corners.

However, the pattern hardly changed in the second half.

Freiburg continued to see more of the ball and attempted to build sustained attacks, but they struggled to break through Union’s well-organised defensive block. Union, for their part, focused almost entirely on defensive compactness while hoping to create danger from dead-ball situations.

In truth, the match offered little for neutral spectators.

One of the few dramatic moments came in the 74th minute, when Danilho Doekhi and Igor Matanović collided head-to-head during a challenge. Both players required treatment on the pitch before they were able to continue.

Aside from that incident, the final stages produced little more than a handful of attacking attempts without real danger.

The statistics reflected the lack of opportunities: Freiburg finished the game with just 0.96 expected goals, while Union managed only 0.54.

But that was not the end of the story, as Union Berlin had one last ace up their sleeve: even though nothing was hinting towards it, Union Berlin got the late winner in injury time for extremly important three points!

Woo-Yeong Jeong, a man for the important goals in the capital city, made his way through on the right hand side and tried his luck with a low-driven curler - and his shot found a way past Noah Atubolu.

Freiburg (kind of) woke up after this and gave everything in order to find an equaliser - Jan-Niklas Beste had a great effort in the 11th minute of extra time, but he was denied by Raab. In the end, Schuster's side just didn't have enough on the night to get it done.

Final result: SC Freiburg 0-1 Union Berlin