Pro Sports

Tears as Freiburg wins its last game at Black Forest stadium

Posted September 26, 2021 7:00 am

By CIARÃN FAHEY

Freiburg's Lucas Hoeler, left, and Augsburg's Niklas Dorsch vie for the ball during their Bundesliga soccer match in Freiburg, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. (Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) - Freiburg coach Christian Streich shed tears and joined fans in the stand after his team beat Augsburg 3-0 in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

It was Freiburg's last game in the scenic Dreisamstadion with its Black Forest views, which the club had been enjoying since 1954. The club's senior team is moving after the international break to a new, bigger stadium on the other side of the city.

The 56-year-old Streich - the longest-serving coach in the Bundesliga - joined supporters after the game. First, he put on a protective face mask, then he grabbed a megaphone, and he climbed a barrier to access the stand behind one of the goals, where he led supporters' chants in front of his team sitting on the field.

'œA fitting end to a memorable stadium,'ť Freiburg captain Christian GÃ¼nter said.

Streich had beer stains on the front of his jumper when he returned to the field.

'œI don't belong in the stand, the players belong in the stand," said Streich, a firm fan favorite who has been in charge since December 2011. "I'm only a coach and the people on the field are the reason the spectators come. But I couldn't do it any other way and it was OK to do it like that.'ť

Streich's players attacked from the start against Augsburg, forcing an early corner, before Lukas KÃ¼bler opened the scoring in the sixth minute. KÃ¼bler scored off a rebound after Rafa Gikiewicz saved GÃ¼nter's initial shot.

Lucas HÃ¶ler lifted the ball over Gikiewicz for Freiburg's second in the 25th, and Vincenzo Grifo converted a penalty for 3-0 in the 31st. It was the 999th goal scored in 360 Bundesliga games at the stadium.

And the last.

Streich took over after the final whistle before supporters enjoyed a rendition of 'œYou'll Never Walk Alone.'ť Former Freiburg coach Volker Finke, who led the club to its first Bundesliga promotion in 1993, and former German soccer federation president Fritz Keller were among those present.

Freiburg is one of only two unbeaten teams in the Bundesliga after six rounds. Bayern Munich, which stretched its lead at the top to three points over the weekend, is the other team.

Also Sunday, Bochum and Stuttgart drew 0-0 in the early game.

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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CiarÃ¡n Fahey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cfaheyAP

FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 file photo, Freiburg's head coach Christian Streich claps his hands during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Schalke 04 and SC Freiburg at the Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Freiburg coach Christian Streich shed tears and joined fans in the stadium after his team beat Augsburg 3-0 in the Bundesliga on Sunday Sept. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, Pool, File) The Associated Press

VfL Bochum 1848's Gerrit Holtmann, right, and Stuttgart's Konstantinos Mavropano vie for the ball during their Bundesliga soccer match in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

VfL Bochum 1848's Takuma Asano, left, and Stuttgart's Borna Sosa vie for the ball during their Bundesliga soccer match in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

VfL Bochum 1848's Armel Bella Kotchap, botto, challenges = Stuttgart's Hamadi Al Ghaddioui during their Bundesliga soccer match in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

Stuttgart's Mateo Klimowicz, left, and Bochum's Herbert Bockhorn vie for the ball during their Bundesliga soccer match in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

VfL Bochum 1848's Danilo Soares, left, challenges Stuttgart's Tanguy Coulibaly during their Bundesliga soccer match in Bochum, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. (Bernd Thissen/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

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