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In an absolute thriller at the Europa-Park Stadion in Breisgau, Julian Schuster’s SC Freiburg have advanced to the third round of the 2026/27 DFB-Pokal with a 3-2 win over visiting 2. Bundesliga outfit VfL Wolfsburg. A match that literally had it all – spectacular goals, controversial refereeing, and magnificent storylines – drew to a close with Freiburg snapping a three-match losing skid with a pulsating late comeback victory.
Japanese internationals Kento Shiogai and Keisuke Goto each scored braces in the captivating affair.
Two sides trade goals in wild start
Schuster rotated heavily from Sunday’s defeat against Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, making seven changes in total. Florian Müller replaced Mio Backhaus in goal. In the outfield, Max Rosenfelder, Christian Günter, Yannik Engelhardt, Cyriaque Irié, Vincenzo Grifo, and Igor Matanovic replaced Philipp Lienhart, Jordy Makengo, Patrick Osterhage, Jan-Niklas Beste, Derry Scherhant, and Lucas Höler. A Wolfsburg side with plenty of familiar Bundesliga veterans were captained by the legendary Maximilian Arnold, who himself had hitherto featured just once in the VfL starting XI in ten matches since relegation.
Despite all the changes, Schuster’s charges needed virtually no time to settle in. Solid combination play throughout the SCF ranks kept the ball near the edge of the Wolfsburg penalty area for virtually the entire opening five minutes. Though a clear opportunity was lacking, it genuinely seemed as if the opening goal would not be long in coming. Sure enough, Freiburg club legends Grifo and Günter worked their way down the left in the sixth minute. Matanovic coolly headed home Günter’s excellent cross for the 1-0. The Wolfsburg response, shockingly enough, would come almost immediately.
Wolfsburg striker Kento Shiogai latched onto keeper Timon Wellenreuther’s long ball in the eighth minute. The rather underwhelming Bundesliga performer burst past SCF defender Rosenfelder and took a few impressively slick touches before finishing low past the onrushing Müller. Neither Rosenfelder nor Müller cut an especially fine figure on the play, but the manner in which Shiogai kept after the ball in front of him seemed more than worthy of a goal. It was the Japanese World Cup representative’s first tally in ten appearances across all competitions this season.
Chances dry up as the tempo gradually drops
After Irié sent an effort into the side-netting in the 12th minute, there would be no further memorable scoring opportunities for a while. The quality of the football nevertheless remained high for a solid 20 minutes. Both sides enjoyed their fair share of possession and kept observers engaged with crisp passing sequences. Matters began to get a tad choppier as the half-hour approached. Fouls, stoppages, and injury timeouts interrupted the flow of the match. Treatment for Wellenreuther halted play for two minutes.
Wolfsburg strike again before halftime
German national team right-back Philipp Treu found himself unable to continue after another injury break in the 39th minute. With Lukas Kübler on for the SCF regular, Wolfsburg began varying their attacking approach. One such push in the 42nd minute produced a corner. For reasons perhaps related to Freiburg’s forced defensive substitution, the marking on the subsequent 43rd-minute set-piece wasn’t sorted out at all. Shiogai – with three Freiburg defenders standing idly by – headed in his second goal of the season unchallenged from only three meters out.
Freiburg found themselves forced down the tunnel trailing even though they had played the better football.
Officiating takes center stage
The Breisgauer hosts began the second half full of fighting spirit, twice flooding the Wolfsburg penalty area without finding the right finish in the first six minutes after the restart. Freiburg thought they would receive a chance to equalize from the penalty spot in the 54th minute when match official Sören Storks ruled that Wolfsburg’s Joakim Mæhle had handled the ball in the box. Compelled to take another look at the incident by the VAR team, however, Storks reversed his ruling based on the fact that the ball had merely grazed Mæhle’s elbow.
There would then be two more apparent goals waved off at both ends in the next five minutes. Wolfsburg striker Alexander Bernhardsson received a yellow card for playing on after the whistle and sending the ball into the back of the net in the 57th minute. Freiburg again thought they had drawn level from a counterattack two minutes later. Günter hammered home a rebound from a Matanovic effort in the 59th, but the latter was ruled offside. Matanovic himself then missed two chances to equalize with headers wide in the 62nd and 65th minutes.
Grifo and Goto do it again!
Freiburg’s deserved breakthrough would eventually come. Just as they did in a Bundesliga matchup against Schalke covered by Get German Football News 17 days ago, Freiburg mainstay Grifo and new summer addition Keisuke Goto combined to the rapturous delight of the hometown fans. In this case, Goto converted a 76th-minute Grifo corner. As was the case with Wolfsburg’s earlier goal, the marking in the box on the 2-2 was suspect. Goto still impressed with a beautifully timed run and emphatic finish.
Goto grabs another late winner
Matanovic had another chance to set up Goto on a breakaway in the 85th minute, but the Croat marksman couldn’t square the ball properly for his teammate. This would not be the final word, however. Goto’s fellow substitute Philipp Lienhart launched a long ball in Goto’s direction in the second minute of stoppage time. Freiburg’s red-haired magician timed his run from behind the halfway line perfectly in order to remain onside and turned the ball into the back of the net with a brilliant first touch and finish.
SC Freiburg Player Ratings
Florian Müller (4) – Philipp Treu (6), Matthias Ginter (6), Max Rosenfelder (4), Christian Günter (6) – Maximilian Eggestein (5), Yannik Engelhardt (5) – Cyriaque Irié (4), Yuito Suzuki (5), Vincenzo Grifo (8) – Igor Matanovic (5)
Substitutes: Lukas Kübler (5), Philipp Lienhart (6), Keisuke Goto (9), Jan-Niklas Beste (-)
VfL Wolfsburg Player Ratings
Timon Wellenreuther (4) – Saël Kumbedi (6), Hauke Wahl (6), Cleiton (4), Joakim Mæhle (5) – Vinicius Souza (4), Maximilian Arnold (5) – Muhammed Damar (6), Elvis Rexhbecaj (5) – Alexander Bernhardsson (6), Kento Shiogai (7)
Substitutes: Fabian Reese (6), Alessio Besio (5), Yannick Gerhardt (5), Bence Dardai (5)
GGFN DFB-Pokal Player of the Match: Keisuke Goto (9)
Twenty-three minutes. Eight touches. Two goals. One spectacular comeback.
SC Freiburg’s Keisuke Goto earns our Player of the Match award after another sensational intervention from the bench. The 21-year-old Japanese international entered with Julian Schuster’s side trailing 2-1 and proceeded to turn the entire contest on its head with two wonderfully taken goals. Goto first headed home Vincenzo Grifo’s 76th-minute corner before collecting Philipp Lienhart’s long ball and finishing expertly in stoppage time to send Freiburg into the next round.
The statistics are extraordinary considering the limited time Goto spent on the pitch. The striker registered just eight touches and attempted four passes, completing two. Yet he scored with two of his three shots, outperforming his 0.53 expected goals by a considerable margin. Goto also won two of his three duels and prevailed in both aerial challenges. Few players can claim to have exerted such a decisive influence with so little involvement in general possession.
The youngster’s emergence as Freiburg’s latest super-sub has been a recurring theme in Get German Football News‘ coverage of his development. Following his decisive winner against Schalke earlier this month, Schuster praised Goto’s determination, willingness to work for his teammates, and eagerness to improve. The Freiburg trainer emphasized that the summer signing makes excellent use of his time on the training pitch and continues to develop his understanding with the coaching staff.
As examined in GGFN‘s comprehensive Freiburg tactical preview, Goto’s effectiveness as a substitute was already apparent during the summer and early competitive fixtures. His goals against Motherwell demonstrated his ability to provide an alternative attacking dimension, while Schuster’s experimentation with a two-striker system alongside Igor Matanovic offered further evidence of the youngster’s growing tactical importance.
There is also something remarkable about Goto’s developing partnership with Grifo. Grifo himself deserves an honorable mention for another excellent performance, earning an eight for his creative contributions and decisive corner. Wolfsburg’s Kento Shiogai (7) also merits recognition for his two first-half goals, although neither player could ultimately match Goto’s match-winning intervention.
For Goto, this was another evening on which minutes mattered considerably less than moments. Freiburg needed a hero with their DFB-Pokal campaign hanging in the balance. Their Japanese striker required only 23 minutes to deliver two of them.
