SC Freiburg secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Celta Vigo in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at Europa-Park Stadion, following their historic advancement past Genk. Vincenzo Grifo, Jan-Niklas Beste, and Matthias Ginter scored the goals for the Bundesliga side. The win puts Freiburg in a strong position to reach the semi-finals for the first time.
Freiburg took control early in the match, with Vincenzo Grifo opening the scoring in the 10th minute. He curled a shot home from just inside the area, giving Julian Schuster's team the lead at Europa-Park Stadion. Having reached the quarter-finals of a European competition for the first time in their history by overcoming Genk, they capitalized on home advantage against the Spanish visitors from Celta Vigo. Jan-Niklas Beste doubled the lead 22 minutes later with a tap-in, extending Freiburg's dominance. Thirteen minutes from full time, Beste turned provider, delivering a corner that Matthias Ginter headed in to seal the 3-0 win. The result leaves Freiburg well-placed ahead of the second leg. The winner of this tie will face the victor of the Sporting Braga and Real Betis quarter-final, which ended 1-1 on Wednesday.
