Kubler brace inspires Freiburg comeback against Braga to book spot in Europa League final

[p]That saw [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schuster-julian/YZPE6Sx7/"]Julian Schuster[/a]'s men into the UEFA Europa League (UEL) semi-final 4-3 on aggregate, denying the 2011 finalists a return to the showpiece.[/p][p]With [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/freiburg/fiEQZ7C7/"]Freiburg[/a] attempting to set a UEL record of 11 successive home wins, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/braga/dpUer7ht/"]Braga[/a]’s first-leg lead was already hanging by a thread before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bocha-maho/AovdDZl1/"]Mario Dorgeles[/a] was sent off just six minutes in for hauling [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/beste-jan-niklas/YcZe7BNN/"]Jan-Niklas Beste[/a] down just outside the area after he was sent through on goal by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/matanovic-igor/j5PxPTVi/"]Igor Matanovic[/a].[/p][p]Beste took responsibility for the free-kick himself, which deflected narrowly wide, but the home side only needed until the 19th minute to make the man advantage count. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kubler-lukas/reFzjZgO/"]Kubler[/a] kept the pressure on after Braga failed to clear a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/grifo-vincenzo/jBePSV5m/"]Vincenzo Grifo[/a] cross, before an attempted clearance ricocheted off Kubler’s shin and nestled in the bottom corner.[/b][/p][embed guid="1edeb373-b2c4-4148-a896-c6c387344fa2" url="https://x.com/EuropaLeague/status/2052472879145492735" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]Despite Freiburg possession ticking over the 75% mark in the first half, a driving run and shot straight at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hornicek-lukas/4xGGcozp/"]Lukas Hornicek[/a] from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/manzambi-johan/pIqmcnKc/"]Johan Manzambi[/a] soon after looked to have been Julian Schuster’s side’s best chance of going ahead in the tie before half-time, until four minutes before the break, when Manzambi was given the space to drift infield from the left and produce a beautiful 25-yard curler effort that sailed past Hornicek. [/b][/p][p]Having taken the lead, the hosts almost threw it away in added time, as Víctor Gomez rounded [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/atubolu-noah/UwlvfZCm/"]Noah Atubolu[/a] and struck the post, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zalazar-rodrigo/viSZFJO9/"]Rodrigo Zalazar[/a]’s rebound was superbly blocked by Kubler.[/p][p]The Breisgau-Brasilianer came close to pressing their advantage home multiple times in the first 10 minutes after the restart – Grifo’s strike from the edge of the area struck the base of the post, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ginter-matthias/27fpNoQk/"]Matthias Ginter[/a] sent the sweetest of 30-yard volleys a whisker wide.[/p][p]Then, Hornicek’s outstretched glove parrying a drive destined for the top corner denied Manzambi a spectacular brace. But failure to put the Portuguese side away made them a dangerous prospect on the break, and Atubolu had to be alert at his near post to deny [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gorby/pSICdAse/"]Jean-Baptiste Gorby[/a] before the hour mark.[/p][p]Unbeaten in 11 European second legs, Os Arcebispos thought that run was extending when Joao Moutinho produced a curling effort, but it flew inches wide. [/p][p]They then had Hornicek to thank for keeping their hopes alive as he saved from Beste and, at the resulting corner, somehow kept out Matanovic’s header and Ginter’s follow-up in a brilliant double save.[/p][p][b]But there was nothing the ‘keeper could do 18 minutes from time, when Grifo’s free-kick was headed in firmly by Kubler. The hosts’ plans for the final were then interrupted in the 79th minute by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/delgado-pau-victor/QkMhPUdc/"]Pau Victor[/a], nodding in after Gomez volleyed Moutinho’s free-kick across goal, cutting the aggregate lead back to one. [/b][/p][p]Atabolu tipped a dipping Gorby strike over two minutes from time, as Freiburg held on to reach Istanbul with a maiden win over Portuguese opposition, while just a fourth defeat in 21 UEL matches proved costly for Braga.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kubler-lukas/reFzjZgO/"]Lukas Kubler[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/freiburg/fiEQZ7C7/"]SC Freiburg[/a])[/b][/p][image alt="Match stats" id="3e2a51f0-d144-4916-93d6-495159e059af" credit-line="StatsPerform via Opta" guid="5c587eee-3b98-4300-bf0a-748503cca679" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/braga-dpUer7ht/freiburg-fiEQZ7C7/?mid=ngB5BvVH"]Check out all the match stats with Flashscore.[/a][/p]