SC Freiburg legend Vincenzo Grifo enjoyed a memorable return to Julian Schuster’s starting XI in Thursday evening’s 3-2 Conference League victory over FK Jablonec . The 33-year-old opened the scoring with a spectacular direct free kick and subsequently supplied the corner that produced Freiburg’s second goal.

Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone afterwards, Grifo explained the meticulous planning behind his opening goal and also addressed the increasingly fierce competition for his preferred position on the left wing. Grifo struck in the 15th minute after defender Max Rosenfelder’s excellent individual run drew a foul on the edge of the penalty area. The Italian international subsequently curled his effort into the goalkeeper’s corner.

Grifo explained that Freiburg had deliberately organized their players to obscure the goalkeeper’s view before creating a shooting lane at the decisive moment. The routine required considerable discussion and preparation, but the execution worked exactly as intended.

“We talked about it for quite a while and arranged the wall a little. It took some time,” Grifo explained when asked about the goal. “I said I wanted to shoot into the goalkeeper’s corner and that the others should move away just before I took it. Today it worked out just as we’d imagined.”

Grifo’s influence extended beyond the opening goal. His corner in the 53rd minute produced the Dušan Pavlović own goal that restored Freiburg’s lead following a VAR review. The performance offered another reminder of Grifo’s continued importance to Freiburg. Only four days earlier, he had come off the bench to supply Keisuke Goto with the decisive winning goal against Schalke 04 .

The veteran’s contributions have acquired additional significance amid Derry Scherhant’s remarkable emergence as a German senior international . Scherhant’s performances have transformed the competition on Freiburg’s left flank. As discussed extensively in our Get German Football News 2026/27 Freiburg tactical preview , the former Hertha BSC attacker entered the summer as Grifo’s understudy but gradually established himself as a genuine alternative for the starting XI.

The 23-year-old has since enjoyed an excellent beginning to the season, with his outstanding display against Eintracht Frankfurt providing further evidence of his development. Scherhant was unavailable for Thursday’s Conference League fixture because of injury, while Grifo started as one of seven changes to Freiburg’s lineup. Asked how he viewed Scherhant’s emergence and recent national-team recognition, Grifo made clear that he harbored no resentment toward his younger teammate.

“Of course I congratulated him and told him: ‘Brilliant, keep it up,'” Grifo said when Kicker’s Carsten Schröter-Lorenz asked him how he was handling the competition. “But I didn’t tell him that I was going to make life difficult for him. He’s still my teammate. Of course, we both play in the same position. I’m someone who can be happy for others. Anyone who knows me knows that. But of course, this is football. Everyone wants to play.”