It took Freiburg just over 20 minutes to put things right at home after failing to register a single shot on goal in Turin.
It took Freiburg just over 20 minutes to put things right at home after failing to register a single shot on goal in Turin.
Matthias Ginter’s strong header forced Wojciech Szczsny into a low save. The hosts’ first-half performance ended there, but they thought they had fallen behind moments later when Vlahovi rifled home following a scramble in the six-yard box,
Only for the lengthy celebrations to be rendered meaningless by a late offside call.
When Federico Gatti’s attempt was handballed at close range just before the half, the wheels really started to fall off for Freiburg.
As a result, referee Serdar Gözübüyük pointed to the spot and issued Manuel Gulde a second yellow card, effectively ending the game as a contest.
Although Vlahovi was fortunate to see his soft penalty squirm into the goal, he didn’t let it show, and the Bianconeri were obviously relieved to have a two-goal cushion overall.
In the second half, Freiburg made a valiant effort, buoyed by the fervent home crowd at Stade Europa-Park. As the visitors relaxed, Michael Gregoritsch had two good opportunities to score.
The Austrian first attempted a speculative free-kick from a distance that was just wide of the goal, followed by a close-range shot that forced Szczsny back into action, but the seasoned stopper was able to maintain his clean sheet.
Freiburg goalkeeper Mark Flekken responded with a reflex save of his own in the dying seconds, but Federico Chiesa slotted home at the second time of asking to make Juventus’ victory that little bit sweeter.
After making it to the knockout rounds for the first time in their history, Freiburg’s European fairytale comes to an end in defeat, but their strong performance in the Bundesliga puts them in a strong position to return the following year.
While Juventus will soon learn who they will face in the quarterfinals, Massimiliano Allegri has just three days to get his team ready for a crucial match against Inter Milan on Sunday.
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