Freiburg Advance to Maiden European Final After Win Over Braga

Freiburg have reached their first European final after beating 10-man Braga in the second leg of the latest Europa League semi-final.

After winning the first leg 2-1, Braga’s task became even harder when Mario Dorgeles, who had scored their late winner in Portugal, was sent off for a foul on Jan-Niklas Beste

Freiburg quickly used their extra player advantage and went ahead when Jean-Baptiste Gorby’s clearance hit Lukas Kübler’s knee and then rolled into the net off the inside of the far post.

The first goal had a bit of luck in it, but Yohan Manzambi’s brilliant second goal just before half-time was all skill and left no doubt.

The 20-year-old midfielder created space for himself just outside the box and then curled a powerful right-footed shot into the far corner, sending the home fans at the Europa-Park Stadion into celebration.

Before half-time, Victor Gómez hit the post after going around Freiburg keeper Noah Atubolu, and early in the second half, Vincenzo Grifo also saw his low shot come back off the same post.

Braga goalkeeper Lukas Horníček produced a brilliant double save to stop Igor Matanović and Matthias Ginter with 20 minutes left, but he couldn’t stop Kübler from adding another goal with a powerful header.

Pau Víctor’s close-range header brought some hope for the visitors seven minutes later, but Carlos Vicens’ team couldn’t find a way back into the game.

Julian Schuster’s team will now go on to face Aston Villa in the final on May 20, after Unai Emery’s side beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the second leg at Villa Park.

This win also marked Freiburg’s 11th straight home victory in the Europa League, matching Sevilla’s all-time record set between April 2014 and March 2016.