Overview

• Vincenzo Grifo converted a hand-ball penalty in the 33rd minute, Junior Adamu doubled the lead on a counter in the 54th, and a Karim Coulibaly own goal sealed it in the 75th.
• Referee Timo Gerach’s hand-ball call stood after VAR official Johann Pfeifer’s review, a decision Werder sporting director Clemens Fritz called “annoying” on Sky.
• Noah Atubolu denied Romano Schmid from the spot in the 59th minute, giving the Freiburg goalkeeper five consecutive Bundesliga penalty saves, which reports say no keeper had previously achieved.
• Werder finished scoreless for the first time this season and lacked attacking thrust without new signing Samuel Mbangula, who missed out with muscular problems.
• The result lifted Freiburg into the league’s upper half and delivered a second straight win as Julian Schuster’s side tune up for Wednesday’s Europa League meeting with FC Basel.