UEL: Freiburg Stunning Comeback Downs Genk, Books Quarter-Final Spot

Freiburg make history, Grifo's magic sends them to UEL quarters

Freiburg overturns deficit, beats Genk 5-1 to book spot in UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. Vincenzo Grifo scores historic goal, becoming club's top scorer.

Freiburg makes history with 5-1 thrashing of Genk, advances to UEL quarters...

Freiburg made history with a stunning 5-1 thrashing of Genk, overturning a first-leg deficit to book their spot in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals. The German side, in their first-ever major European quarter-final, were clinical in their demolition of the Belgian team.

The tie burst into life on the 19th minute when Freiburg took the lead, thanks to Vincenzo Grifo's stunning strike. The Italian midfielder made history, becoming the first Freiburg player to score in a European knockout tie. The hosts never looked back, with a total of five goals flying in to send them through.

Vincenzo Grifo's free-kick from the left found its way to Matthias Ginter, who headed it in via the far post, leveling the tie on aggregate with his third goal in six matches. Genk pushed back, nearly taking the lead when Joris Kayembe's brilliant cross found Aaron Bibout, but Noah Atubolu made a fantastic save to keep the hosts ahead on the night.

Noah Atubolu's incredible save seemed to galvanize Freiburg, as they took the lead on aggregate before the half-hour mark. Matthias Ginter was again at the center, benefiting from a Yuito Suzuki deflection that he headed across goal, allowing Igor Matanovic to bundle home at the far post for his ninth goal of the season.

Genk, looking shell-shocked after conceding twice in quick succession, somehow managed to recover and started applying pressure of their own. The Belgian side pushed hard, seeking to turn the tie around, but Freiburg's momentum seemed to be growing by the minute.

Genk restored parity before the break, capitalizing on a Konstantinos Karetsas shot that hit the post and rebounded across the face of goal. Karetsas squared the ball to Smets, who fired past Atubolu to level the aggregate score.

Ken Nkuba had a great chance to put Genk ahead again, but his shot flew over from Aaron Bibout's cutback, leaving the tie finely poised heading into the second half.

Momentum seemed to be with Genk at halftime, but Freiburg shifted the balance in their favor right after the restart. The visitors' goalscorer, Smets, played a wayward pass across his own box, and Grifo pounced, firing home his 106th goal for Freiburg and making history as the club's all-time top scorer.

Freiburg dealt Genk another blow just four minutes later, as Yuito Suzuki started and finished a blistering counter-attack. Johan Manzambi played him through, and Suzuki slotted the ball into the bottom corner, handing Freiburg an unassailable two-goal aggregate lead.

Freiburg confirm their quarter-final place ✅#UEL pic.twitter.com/0YJeF0fBt1

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 19, 2026

Genk's hopes were dashed, and the final nail in the coffin came in the 79th minute when Maximilian Eggestein slammed home from the edge of the area, sealing Freiburg's spot in the quarter-finals.

Freiburg turned on the style ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️#UEL pic.twitter.com/On0bO0Qr0v

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 19, 2026

Freiburg's stunning 5-1 win over Genk was a surprise given their recent scoring drought, but they've now set their sights on Celta Vigo in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Genk's European dreams are dashed, missing out on their first last-eight appearance since 2016/17 and extending their winless streak against German opponents to five matches.