Freiburg v Juventus Live Commentary & Result, 16/03/2023, UEFA Europa League

That's all from us, we hope you enjoyed the game. It's goodbye for now, but we'll see you for the next round of European fixtures!

A 3-0 aggregate victory for Juventus sees the Bianconeri reach the last eight of the Europa League, and with the quality of sides in the competition being filtered and narrowed with every passing round, the Old Lady will need to be at their ruthless best to beat whichever opponent they are drawn. Freiburg's first spell in Europe since 2017-18 ends here, however their league form - currently fifth in the Bundesliga - suggests that they could well be back stronger by the time next season rolls around.

Playing second-fiddle to Vlahovic up front until the Serbian was substituted, Moise Kean kept himself busy and nearly put the tie to bed long before Chiesa's late strike. The 23-year-old had three attempts from just four touches in the box, testing Flekken several times and also creating a big chance for his strike partner. Kean completed two crosses, as well as winning eight of his nine duels, with two successful dribbles and aerial duels apiece.

That late, late strike from Chiesa compounds a 2-0 victory on the night for Juventus, with the 3-0 aggregate scoreline sending the Old Lady into the last eight at a canter. Freiburg pressed hard for an equaliser early in the second half as Gregoritsch tested Szczesny, but Juve's dominance saw them go even closer through Kean, Danilo and Chiesa, before the latter sealed the victory. Freiburg's European campaign comes to an end, and although the scoreline suggests it was with a whimper, the German side exit safe in the knowledge that had some decisions gone the other way, and a few of those half-chances dropped differently to them, this game could have had an entirely different complexion.

90' + 6' FULL-TIME: FREIBURG 0-2 JUVENTUS (0-3 on aggregate).

A. Rabiot

Assist

90' + 5' Rabiot's quick thinking there was excellent, picking out Chiesa as the defence arrived and giving the substitute just enough time to rifle the ball home.

F. Chiesa

Goal

90' + 5' GOOOOAAAALLL!!!! The last eight, here they come!!!! Kubler's poor clearance is cut out by Rabiot, who finds Chiesa in the space vacated by the stranded Freiburg defender. He drills the ball towards the far corner, which beats Flekken and strikes the post before nestling in the back of the net to make it 2-0 to Juve! That's a 3-0 aggregate score, and seals their passage into the quarter-finals.

90' + 4' OFF THE BAR!!! Chiesa latches onto a long Juventus clearance and cuts inside Kubler. He drills a low shot goalwards, but a crucial touch off Flekken sees the ball smash off the crossbar and behind!

90' + 3' Kubler's long throw is flicked on by Sildialli in the box, and he claims a penalty for hand-ball which the referee isn't interested in hearing!

90' + 2' Freiburg win a free-kick which Grifo is again the man to cross into the box, but the delivery is too close to Szczesny and the Bianconeri goalkeeper claims it.

M. Soulé

M. Kean

90' + 1' Juve make another late change, as Kean is replaced in the front line by young forward Matias Soule.

90' We'll play an additional five minutes of added time as Juventus close in on the last eight of this season's Europa League.

89' Gatti heads Sallai's cross away to the edge of the box, where the ball is brought down by Grifo. He sets himself too shoot, but the shot he releases is underhit and rolls into the arms of Szczesny.

R. Sallai

Yellow Card

87' Kean drops deep once more, doing well to win and keep the ball on the near touchline, but he's shunted to the ground by Sallai after releasing the ball and the Freiburg substitute is booked.

86' Sildialli's cross from the right is glanced away before Weisshaupt returns serve from the opposite touchline. It's only half-cleared by Juventus and the ball drops towards Petersen, but he can't turn and shoot before Gatti intercepts!

M. De Sciglio

J. Cuadrado

85' Alterations also come out wide, with Mattia De Sciglio replacing Cuadrado at right wing-back.

E. Barrenechea

M. Locatelli

84' Juventus make late changes in midfield, as Locatelli is replaced by Enzo Barrenechea.

84' WIDE!!! A poor Cuadrado throughball is kept alive thanks to Sallai's poor touch on the edge of his own box. Kean strikes the ball first-time on the turn, and sends it whistling past the post with a powerful strike!

S. Iling-Junior

Yellow Card

82' The hosts win a free-kick on halfway which Kubler attempts to take quickly, but he's prevented from doing so by Iling-Junior, who is promptly booked for time-wasting by the referee.

81' Juve can't clear properly from a Freiburg corner and the ball is passed to Sallai in the middle. He drops a shoulder to open up space on his right foot, but his 20-yard effort is pulled wide!

79' Sildialli finds space down the right and attempts to cross from a throughball, but he's dragged back by his shirt and the perpetrator, Iling-Junior, is penalised.

78' Iling-Junior passes inside to Fagioli in space, who drives from distance and sends a 25-yard effort searing high and wide of Flekken's left post!

77' Kean drops deep to collect a pass from Rabiot, but he's held back by Schmidt and wins a free-kick for Juve.

75' Weisshaupt's early cross from the left sees both Bremer and Danilo go for the same ball, with the ball going behind off the former for a Freiburg corner.

N. Weißhaupt

C. Günter

74' Captain Gunter is also withdrawn in the hosts' final substitution, and Noah Weisshaupt will see out the remainder of the game for Freiburg.

N. Petersen

M. Gregoritsch

74' That half-chance will be Gregoritsch's last, as the striker is replaced up front for Freiburg by Nils Petersen.

74' CHANCE!!! Gunter's cross from the left is flicked down by Sallai in the box, and Gregoritsch is inches away from connecting on the turn before Danilo scythes it away!

73' A long-range throughball from Locatelli is almost seized upon by Kean, but Schmidt gets back to recover possession for Freiburg and the chance comes to an end.

S. Iling-Junior

F. Kostić

70' Kostic also comes off for the Old Lady, and young English forward Samuel Iling-Junior will replace the starting left-winger.

F. Chiesa

D. Vlahović

70' Vlahovic's goal remains the difference in this game as we enter the final 20 minutes, and Federico Chiesa replaces the Serbian in attack, which will likely see him support Kean up front.

69' Juventus have already committed 10 fouls in less than 70 minutes of this match, beating than their season average of 9.6 per 90 in Europe.

67' Freiburg win a free-kick on the right-hand side and Grifo stands over the ball. He crosses to the back post, but slightly overhits his delivery and the ball sails behind.

66' Rabiot wins possession in midfield and tees up Kostic from distance, but the winger drags his low drive well beyond the reaches of the far post.

64' Sallai looks to step beyond Kostic before crossing into the box, but the substitute's effort from the right edge hangs high before floating behind.

V. Grifo

L. Höler

62' Holer also comes off, and Freiburg's top scorer in all competitions this season, Vincenzo Grifo, enters the fray.

R. Sallai

R. Dōan

62' Freiburg make further changes on the hour, as the impressive Doan is replaced by Roland Sallai in the front three.

60' SAVED!! Danilo gets forward and looks to find the bottom corner from the edge of the box, but his side-footed curling effort is saved, as Flekken gets down low to his left!

59' SAVED!!! Rabiot's cross from the right is returned back into the centre of the box by Kostic, and Kean's glancing header looks destined to find the corner before being calmly caught by Flekken!

57' CHAOS!!! The referee's got another big decision to make here after a succession of chances in the Juventus box! Gunter's free-kick into the area is volleyed back across the face by Ginter, causing a scramble in the box which sees Gregoritsch volley goalwards! Szczesny saves, before appearing to have picked up a Locatelli back-pass, but to the fury of the Freiburg players, the referee awards Juve a free-kick rather than giving the hosts a direct free-kick or penalty!

D. Vlahović

Yellow Card

56' Vlahovic needlessly knocks Ginter over before booting the ball away when penalised, and the referee doesn't hesitate in showing the goalscorer a yellow card for dissent.

56' Doan darts down the right and looks to pick out a cross, but after he's shoved over by Kostic, the referee strangely awards Juventus a goal kick rather than giving the hosts a free-kick!

55' Danilo's all over Doan as the Freiburg forward drops deep once again, and the Japanese forward wins a second free-kick in as many minutes for his side.

53' Fagioli's attempted throughball for Kean is cut out by Ginter, who finds Doan in support. He turns Kostic brilliantly and looks to spark an attack but is fouled from behind by the Juve winger.

51' Juventus have lost just one of their last nine European matches against German teams, winning the last three in a row without conceding, including their last away game on German soil in December 2019, against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

49' WIDE!!! That was some strike from Gregoritsch!! Freiburg's Austrian forward is fouled by Bremer and steps up to hit the free-kick. His 30-yard effort flies over the wall and looks destined for the top corner, but it flashes just wide of the far post with Szczesny rooted to the spot!

48' Rabiot concedes the first corner of the half, but Gunter's delivery doesn't get beyond Gatti, who heads clear for Juventus at the near post.

46' Gregoritsch kicks off the second half for Freiburg, who have a mighty task ahead of them if they're to progress beyond this stage of the competition!

K. Schmidt

M. Eggestein

46' Eggestein is withdrawn at half-time by the hosts, with Kenneth Schmidt coming into the midfield to make his debut for the club.

We're back for the second period, and can 10-man Freiburg pull off the unlikeliest of comebacks to get back into this tie?

Vlahovic's opener from the spot separates the two sides in this second leg, and the Serbian's three attempts on goal have yielded 0.91 xG so far. He's been a key for the Old Lady with the ball at his feet, having three touches in the box and creating a big chance for Kean. He's also contested five duels, completing one successful dribble, but has only completed one pass in the final third, with Juve hoping to improve on this front in the second half.

A first period lacking in chances and drama for the most part comes to an end, having had an extra helping of both towards the end of the half! The two sides spent much of the opening period trying to sustain possession with chances few and far between, with only Locatelli and Ginter testing their respective opposition goalkeepers early on aside from Vlahovic having a goal ruled out. However, Kean's saved shot sparked mayhem, with Gatti's follow-up shot accidentally blocked by the hand of Gulde. He was harshly sent off for a second yellow card as Vlahovic converted the penalty, and with just 10 men and a two-goal aggregate deficit to overcome, it's a mammoth of a task for Freiburg to progress from here.

45' + 4' HALF-TIME: FREIBURG 0-1 JUVENTUS (0-2 Aggregate).

45' + 4' Gregoritsch turns in the box to find Doan darting across him, but the Japan forward's shot from the tightest of angles is deflected behind for a corner!

45' + 2' OVER!!! Juve break away and Vlahovic crosses into the area. Hofler slides back in cover for Freiburg and gets the crucial touch, sending the ball just over his own crossbar following a deflection off Rabiot!

45' + 1' We're into three additional minutes at the end of this first half, which could well end up being more given the drama we've just witnessed!

D. Vlahović

Penalty Goal

45' GOOOOAAALLL!!! Vlahovic scores... just!!! The striker steps up and drills the ball low and hard, but Flekken guesses the right way and the ball deflects off his torso into the roof of the net!! A double-whammy of good luck for Juve, but they won't care as they lead the tie 1-0 on the night and 2-0 on aggregate!

N. Höfler

Yellow Card

44' Yellow Card Nicolas Höfler

44' HE'S OFF!!! The penalty is given for that handball by Gulde, and it's a rather harsh yellow card. However, that's his second of the game, meaning the Freiburg defender is off as Vlahovic prepares to take the Juventus penalty!

43' PENALTY GIVEN!!! Gatti's shot did indeed deflect off the arm of Gulde, and with his arm not in the most natural of positions, the referee has no choice but to point to the spot!

42' Play has ground to a halt for a potential penalty against Freiburg, and it looks as if there's a call for handball against Gulde...

41' OFF THE LINE!! Juve press on and Gatti finds space to shoot in the box. Flekken is stranded and beaten, but Ginter is back on the goal-line to head the ball away!

41' SAVED!!! Rabiot's clever throughball has Kean searing after it, and the striker's low shot is parried away thanks to great reactions from Flekken!

40' Juventus have progressed from each of their last nine major European knockout ties when they’ve won the first leg, last failing in the 2009-10 Europa League last 16 against Fulham. They won the first leg 3-1 before losing the second leg 4-1 to the Cottagers.

38' WIDE!!! Hofler's hacked attempt at a clearance is recovered by Vlahovic, who turns onto his left foot and drills a low shot, which takes a nick as it whistles past Flekken's left-hand post!

37' Freiburg again pop the ball in and around the Juventus box and it's spread wide to Gunter, but his effort from distance is woefully poor as he drags it well wide of the far post.

35' BLOCKED!! Rabiot is released into space and finds Vlahovic as his support in the box. The striker steps onto his left foot and shoots low from a tight angle, but it's a meek effort which Hofler easily gets in the way of!

33' Holer drops deep to receive a midfield pass but is soon barrelled over by Gatti. The Juve defender races back into position and shares some words with the referee on his way, appearing lucky to have avoided a dissent-related yellow there!

32' Vlahovic has scored 19 goals in all competitions since joining Juventus in January 2022, however only three of these have come on the continental stage, with his most recent being against Nantes in their Europa League last 16 qualifier.

30' Gunter latches onto Holer's flick and cuts inside to shoot from the edge of the box, but his right-footed effort is snatched at and Gatti easily blocks it.

28' BALL IN THE NET!!! Juve think they've doubled their aggregate lead but the goal is swiftly ruled out!!! A free-kick is swung into the area, and Bremer's powerful header cannons back off the crossbar. The scramble in the box sees Kean tee up Vlahovic to lash the ball in, but the Serbian was offside from Bremer's original effort and a quick review chalks his goal off!

M. Gulde

Yellow Card

26' Rabiot plays a one-two with Kean but is clipped very late by Gulde on his way through, resulting in the first yellow card of the game being shown to the Freiburg defender.

25' Doan looks to turn away from Danilo, but is caught from behind and is fouled by the Juventus captain.

23' Freiburg attempt to pull off a pre-planned move from their latest corner, but in the process Eggestein is caught offside and the flag's up before Doan can shoot!

23' SAVED!!! The corner is put right onto the head of Ginter, whose powerful downward effort is parried away by Szczesny! Eggestein follows in at the far post, but it's blocked behind for another corner!

22' Doan dribbles his way into the box before passing back to Eggestein. His cross is met by Gunter, whose deflected effort is heading behind and Szczesny can't keep it in!

21' Freiburg keep possession well and Holer looks to tee up Eggestein for a shot, but the midfielder is flagged offside and the free-kick goes Juventus' way!

19' Bringing the ball down following a switch in play by the Old Lady, Cuadrado drives into the box and takes on Gunter. He looks to step beyond the Freiburg captain and goes down under the slightest of pressure, with the referee far from convinced and calling play on!

17' Juve seem happy to simply keep the ball at the moment, and are doing well to bypass the press of Freiburg. They're already in control of this tie on aggregate, so any attack that does come from this spell of possession will not be rushed, by any means.

15' SAVED!!! Freiburg can't clear their lines and the ball falls to Locatelli, who drills a first-time shot goalwards and straight into the gloves of an unmoved Flekken!

15' Locatelli threads one peach of a throughball into the path of Cuadrado. He cuts inside onto his left foot but is dispossessed, and the same happens to Fagioli when he attempts to drive into the area with the loose ball!

13' Kubler's long ball forward is aimed to the outlet of Gregoritsch in the box, but his off-balance header is recovered by the Juve defence.

11' A Freiburg free-kick is crossed into the area, but Holer fouls Gatti in the Juventus box and the visitors are awarded a free-kick of their own.

9' Freiburg have never lost the second leg of a major European knockout tie, overcoming a first leg deficit to qualify once before in the UEFA Cup second round in 2001-02 against FC St. Gallen, overcoming a 1-0 first-leg deficit to win the second 4-1 and progress.

7' Gulde attempts to hit a throughball into Doan's path, but his pass is overhit and the Freiburg forward can't reach the ball before it sails out of play.

5' WIDE!!! An early sighter for the hosts!!! A superb and turn off-balance from Eggestein gives Doan space to run into with the ball, and with Szczesny off his line, the Japanese forward goes to goal, dinking a delicate effort beyond the goalkeeper and wide of the far post!

3' This is Freiburg’s first home match against Juventus in European competition, or against any Italian side for that matter, and the rocking atmosphere at the Europa-Park Stadion certainly reflects that!

1' Vlahovic kicks the game off for Juventus, and we're up and running in south-western Germany!

The teams head out onto the Mooswaldstadion pitch, and we're nearly ready to go in this decisive European knockout tie!

Despite scoring the winner in the first leg, which was his fourth European goal of the campaign, Angel di Maria is on the bench for the Old Lady. However, it’s still a more than respectable front line, with wing-backs Cuadrado and Kostic set to provide a front two of Dusan Vlahovic and Moise Kean with plenty of ammunition.

Michael Gregoritsch is Freiburg’s leading European goalscorer with three so far this season, although his last came back in October against Nantes. He leads the line for the German side, with Lucas Holer and Ritsu Doan either side of him and overall top-scorer Vincenzo Grifo on the bench.

JUVENTUS SUBS: Carlo Pinsoglio, Mattia Perin, Mattia De Sciglio, Federico Chiesa, Fabio Miretti, Angel di Maria, Daniele Rugani, Matias Soule, Leandro Paredes, Samuel Iling-Junior, Enzo Barrenechea, Mattia Compagnon.

JUVENTUS (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Federico Gatti; Juan Cuadrado, Nicolo Fagioli, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Filip Kostic; Dusan Vlahovic, Moise Kean.

FREIBURG SUBS: Benjamin Uphoff, Noah Atubolu, Jonathan Schmid, Yannik Keitel, Nils Petersen, Roland Sallai, Woo-Yeong Jeong, Vincenzo Grifo, Noah Weisshaupt, Merlin Rohl, Kenneth Schmidt.

FREIBURG (3-4-3): Mark Flekken; Lukas Kubler, Matthias Ginter, Manuel Gulde; Kiliann Sildialli, Maximilian Eggestein, Nicolas Hofler, Christian Gunter; Ritsu Doan, Michael Gregoritsch, Lucas Holer.

Both sides have recorded league victories over their respective divisions’ bottom sides in between the two legs, with Ritsu Doan’s late winner seeing Freiburg beat Hoffenheim 2-1, and Adrien Rabiot’s double helping the Bianconeri to a 4-2 win over Sampdoria.

Angel Di Maria’s winner early in the second half got Juve over the line in the first leg, and they bring a 1-0 lead to the Europa-Park Stadion looking to press home their slender advantage and reach the last eight.

Hello, and welcome to live coverage of this UEFA Europa League knockout fixture, as Freiburg take on Juventus in the second leg of their last-16 tie.

Freiburg v Juventus Live Commentary, 16/03/2023

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