Italian playmaker scores and assists as Atubolu saves fifth straight penalty to lift visitors into Bundesliga’s top six.
BREMEN, Germany – Vincenzo Grifo delivered a decisive display as Freiburg defeated Werder Bremen 3-0 at the Weserstadion on Sunday, moving into the Bundesliga’s top six. The Italian midfielder scored from the penalty spot and set up Junior Adamu, while goalkeeper Noah Atubolu made history by saving a fifth consecutive league penalty.
Bremen, buoyed by a 4-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend, began brightly. Justin Njinmah broke clear after 10 minutes but was denied one-on-one by Atubolu, who spread himself well. Freiburg struggled to find fluency early on but gained a foothold through Grifo’s influence in midfield.
The breakthrough came on the half-hour after VAR confirmed a handball by Cameron Puertas. Grifo, with 40 successful spot-kicks already for Freiburg, made no mistake from 12 yards, firing into the top corner to claim his eighth direct goal involvement in the last seven league meetings between the sides.
Opportunities fell at both ends before the interval, with Marco Friedl and Grifo off target, but Freiburg struck again soon after the restart. A flowing move launched from a defensive free-kick ended with Grifo crossing low for Adamu, who lashed into the roof of the net to double the advantage.
Bremen were handed a chance to respond when Yukinari Sugawara’s cross struck an arm in the area, but Romano Schmid’s tame penalty was pushed away by Atubolu. In doing so, the 22-year-old became the first goalkeeper in Bundesliga history to save five consecutive penalties.
The miss drained the hosts’ momentum, and Freiburg sealed victory on 75 minutes. Adamu’s close-range effort was blocked, but the rebound ricocheted off Bremen defender Karim Coulibaly and into his own net. From there, Christian Streich’s side managed the closing stages comfortably to record a third straight clean-sheet win over Bremen.
The result continues Freiburg’s strong away form, with just one defeat in nine Bundesliga trips since February. Bremen, meanwhile, slipped back into old habits, failing to build on their first win of the campaign.
Key Stat: Noah Atubolu became the first goalkeeper in Bundesliga history to save five successive penalties.
