SC Freiburg kicked off the new Bundesliga season with a commanding 4-1 home victory over Werder Bremen. Japanese forward Ritsu Doan was the hero, scoring a hat-trick to lead his team to a perfect start.
This match report is based on information first published by Bild Sport. The win provides ideal momentum for a side that finished seventh last season, with 47 points from 34 games and a record of 13 wins, eight draws, and 13 losses. Their recent form was WLDLW.
How did the match unfold?
Saturday's game at the Europa-Park Stadion was controlled by SC Freiburg from the outset. The first major chance led directly to the opening goal. In the 29th minute, Ritsu Doan headed in from a Florian Wirtz corner to make it 1-0. Just before halftime, Croatian striker Franjo Matanovic doubled the lead to 2-0 with an unstoppable shot from 21 meters.
Freiburg didn't let up after the break. Just three minutes into the second half, Doan scored his second, assisted by Jessic Ngankam, for 3-0. Only seven minutes later, the Japanese international completed his hat-trick, capitalizing on a mistake by Niclas Füllkrug to make it 4-0. For Werder Bremen, Polish new signing Jakub Stalmach headed in a consolation goal in the 76th minute. He had come on at the start of the second half for the injured Olivier Deman.
What impact did the new signings have?
All eyes were on goalkeeper Mio Backhaus, who transferred from Werder Bremen to SC Freiburg for a fee of 15 million euros this summer. Against his former club, he delivered a confident performance, only beaten by Stalmach's header. On the opposing side, Werder coach Daniel Thioune faced personnel issues. Danish midfielder Jens Stage, who scored ten goals in each of the last two seasons, suffered a thigh injury in training on Saturday and is ruled out for the rest of the year. Thioune replaced him in the starting lineup with Spaniard Chuki.
Two other new arrivals, Reis and returning striker Niclas Füllkrug, also started. Füllkrug had a difficult afternoon, his mistake leading to the fourth goal and missing a big chance in the 57th minute. He was substituted in the 61st minute for Cedric Itten, who made his Bundesliga debut for Werder.
What does the win mean for the standings?
The clear opening-day victory gives SC Freiburg a perfect foundation for the new campaign. Compared to last season, where they scored 51 goals but conceded 57 for a negative six goal difference, the defense looked much more solid. The gap to record champions Bayern Munich was 42 points at the end of the previous season. For Werder Bremen, a negative trend continues: the club has not won its opening league match since 2013 and is considered a relegation candidate this term as well.
What's next for SC Freiburg?
Christian Streich's team can approach the next fixture with great confidence. They travel to face SC Paderborn 07 on Saturday, September 5th, 2026. You can check all upcoming matches on our fixtures page. The current squad overview is available in the squad section. After this strong first impression, the goal will be to confirm this positive performance and gather early points for a desired spot in the upper third of the table.
