Trabzonspor's perfect Conference League record is over. Lukas Kubler's 14th-minute goal gave Freiburg a 1-0 win at Papara Park, as Mohamed Salah — captain for the night — was denied again and again on a frustrating evening for the Turkish side.
Trabzonspor came into this game as the team everyone in this competition feared: two wins from two, Salah scoring in both, seven straight victories in all competitions and a deafening home crowd behind them. Freiburg, beaten 3-0 in Monaco on matchday two, were supposed to be the latest side swept away by the Black Sea Storm. Instead, Julian Schuster's team produced a masterclass in European away football.
Kubler strikes early and Freiburg dig in
The goal came from a set piece, and it was scruffy in the extreme. Igor Matanovic met an in-swinging corner at the near post, Andre Onana parried the ball straight out, and right-back Lukas Kubler slammed home the rebound from close range, as the Bundesliga.com live blog described it. Fourteen minutes gone, and the loudest stadium in Türkiye fell quiet.
Freiburg nearly doubled the lead two minutes earlier through Maximilian Eggestein's volley and again through Vincenzo Grifo before half-time, and their high press stopped Trabzonspor building any rhythm. When the hosts did stir, Salah was at the centre of everything: a free-kick deflected wide on 26 minutes, a shot blazed over on 40, and a cross cleared off the toes of Paul Onuachu by Philipp Lienhart. Ernest Muci, the busiest home midfielder, fired five shots without ever truly testing Mio Backhaus.
The defining moment came on the hour. Onuachu headed the ball down inside the six-yard box and Salah poked it goalwards from point-blank range — only for Backhaus to flick out an arm and push it clear with a reaction save the Bundesliga blog called brilliant. It was that kind of night for the Egyptian, who finished with four shots, six corners delivered and a stoppage-time effort saved as he chased an equaliser that never came. The full Sportradar data showed Trabzonspor with 60 per cent possession and 14 shots, but only four on target.
A second-half siege comes to nothing
The second half became an exercise in resistance. Reis sent on Ozan Tufan for Batista Mendy and pushed his full-backs high, and Trabzonspor camped in the Freiburg half, swinging cross after cross towards Onuachu. Chibuike Nwaiwu had a header saved on 85 minutes, Muci curled two efforts wide in the closing stages, and when Kubler was withdrawn late on he was applauded off by the travelling supporters who knew exactly what his goal had cost the hosts. Freiburg's five substitutions were all defensive in spirit, and every one of them earned his money.
So what does it mean?
Both teams now sit on six points from three matches. Trabzonspor's wins over Hearts and KuPS keep them in the automatic qualification places on goal difference, but their air of inevitability has cracked: Thomas Reis's side had not lost at home all season, and the manner of this defeat — dominant in territory, blunt in the box — will concern him more than the result.
For Freiburg, this was the perfect response to the 3-0 defeat in Monaco. Kubler, who also went close in that game, was superb at both ends, Matthias Ginter and Lienhart headed away everything, and Backhaus produced the save of the night. Schuster's men are now level with the side many tipped to win this competition, with momentum swinging their way.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Salah remains the story of this Conference League season, but this was the night the supporting cast failed him. Trabzonspor had the ball, the crowd and the chances, yet one parried corner and one superhuman save beat them. Freiburg showed the blueprint for stopping the Salah show: score early, defend the box like your lives depend on it, and trust your goalkeeper. Can Trabzonspor bounce straight back, or has the rest of Europe just worked them out? Let us know in the comments.
