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Just days before their Champions League fixture against Liverpool, Vincenzo Grifo’s clever 87th-minute free kick earned Freiburg a 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
Frankfurt, who will be featuring in Europe’s top competition for only the second time, are set to reunite with their former striker Hugo Ekitike on Wednesday.
The French forward joined Liverpool in the summer for a reported £69 million ($92 million).
The result, however, underlined Frankfurt’s ongoing inconsistency this season.
Defender Rasmus Kristensen admitted the draw was frustrating but said it would serve as motivation ahead of their midweek European clash.
“We were pretty much in control in an away game, and the three points were in our grasp today, but unfortunately, we didn’t get them,” he said. “That’s why we’ll need to step it up on Wednesday. We’ll go in with great confidence and give our best.”
Freiburg took the lead inside two minutes through Derry Scherhant, but Jonathan Burkardt responded with a brace before half-time to give Frankfurt control.
Yet Grifo’s late set-piece brilliance rescued a point for the home side, curling his free kick around the wall and into the near post while Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos was caught out.
Frankfurt’s attacking strength has been clear this season — their tally of 19 goals is second only to Bayern Munich’s 27, but defensive frailties remain a major concern, having now conceded 18 times in the Bundesliga campaign.
After a shaky start, Frankfurt found rhythm midway through the first half, with Turkish teenager Can Uzun impressing in midfield. His creativity led to the second goal when he won possession near the Freiburg box and set up Fares Chaibi, who teed up Burkardt to score his seventh goal in nine games since joining the club in the summer.
Frankfurt introduced World Cup winner Mario Götze in the second half to steady the match, but Freiburg refused to relent, and Grifo’s late strike ensured the spoils were shared.
In Sunday’s other fixture, Hoffenheim climbed to eighth in the table after cruising to a 3-0 away win at St Pauli.
