In a scenario reminiscent of Mainz’s recent away fixture, SC Freiburg encountered an unexpected challenge during their Europa League match on Thursday night: a series of deflated match balls. Unlike the ordinary practice balls, this issue affected the actual game, forcing Freiburg to compete for nearly the entire first half with improperly inflated balls. Before the half-hour mark, the match ball was replaced three times due to being flat. Greek referee Anastasios Sidiropoulos expressed his frustration, vocally addressing the stadium staff about the situation, which was captured by pitch-side microphones. Fortunately for Freiburg, the incident did not impact the final score. The team rallied to score three goals in the last fifteen minutes of the first half, ultimately securing a 3-1 away victory over their French hosts. Veteran German defender Matthias Ginter, who assisted on the first goal, commented on the peculiar circumstances regarding the balls. “Tonight was totally weird,” Ginter remarked to RTL. “Sometimes I see my friends playing in the Kreisliga, where the balls can be a bit flat. The referee mentioned that the ball in use wasn’t properly inflated. Fortunately, they managed to pump it up at halftime.” GGFN | Peter Weis Post navigation Christian Günter Approaches SC Freiburg Milestone as Team Celebrates Europa League Victory
