Freiburg's promotion thanks to Lienhart amazes Bayern and Dortmund
In Germany, an ÖFB‑ surprise in the league: Philipp Lienhart leads SC Freiburg after five rounds with four wins and a draw to the top of the table, while the big names Konrad Laimer at Bayern and Marcel Sabitzer at Dortmund remain in the background.
Freiburg's unexpected rise
Not Konrad Laimer with Bayern, nor Marcel Sabitzer with Dortmund – it is Philipp Lienhart with SC Freiburg who is laughing from the top of the table in Germany. In the past, mocking voices claimed: ‘If you want to see Freiburg on top, you have to turn the table’, but those times are long gone. After five rounds, the Breisgau side sit clearly at the top with four wins and a draw, a result that hardly anyone expected.
After the 2-1 victory over Schalke, the fans sang loudly: ‘Leaders, leaders’. The win was enthusiastically celebrated by the supporters and underscores the team's upward momentum. Yuito Suzuki saw a yellow‑red card, while Keisuke Goto scored the late winning goal.
Schuster's pragmatic view
Coach Julian Schuster emphasized that the league lead ‘played no role before or after the match’. The 41‑year‑old coach added: “The experience of winning while being a man down and being able to press like that is a far more important and larger fact.”
Lienhart is deployed in central defence and has played the full distance in all five league matches. With only four goals conceded, he, together with Dortmund and Bayern, belongs to the best defence in the league. His consistency is a key building block for SC Freiburg's current performance.
Freiburg has also comfortably completed the first cup round and won both legs in the Conference League qualification. On Thursday the league phase begins with the home match against Jablonec, another testing ground for the young squad.
Alongside the strong defence, Derry Scherhant and Philipp Treu, who recently delivered convincing national team debuts, are considered success guarantors. From the second row, Keisuke Goto stands out, having already scored for the third time this season. Striker Igor Matanovic spoke of ‘red magic’ when referring to his teammate’s red‑coloured hair, and praised the summer signing from RSC Anderlecht, who has integrated well despite the language barrier.
Schuster praised the 21‑year‑old Goto: “The boy has so much hunger, takes everything on”, and sees much joy ahead with him. He also mentioned the long‑standing record scorer Vincenzo Grifo, who, behind Scherhant on the left wing, plays only a supporting role but provided the precise build‑up for Goto’s goal. This teamwork best describes Freiburg’s recipe for success.