Goto's late header sends ten-man Freiburg past Schalke and top of the Bundesliga
SC Freiburg beat Schalke 04 2-1 at the Europa-Park Stadion on 11 October 2026, with Keisuke Goto's 85th-minute header deciding it after Yuito Suzuki was sent off.
SC Freiburg beat Schalke 04 2-1 on 11 October 2026 in a Bundesliga match at the Europa-Park Stadion, with Keisuke Goto's 85th-minute header settling it after Yuito Suzuki's dismissal in the 64th minute had left the hosts with ten men, according to Pacy's match stats. The win puts Freiburg top of the table.
How it unfolded
Maximilian Eggestein gave Freiburg the lead in the 10th minute, finishing from very close range with his left foot after a corner. Schalke replied in the 30th minute, when Kenan Karaman struck from the centre of the box into the bottom right corner, with Adrian Gantenbein credited with the assist from a corner, and the teams went in level at 1-1.
Play had already stopped for an injury to Hasan Kurucay in the fifth minute, and again for Schalke goalkeeper Loris Karius in the 27th. The second half brought two bookings and a dismissal for Freiburg. Suzuki was booked in the 49th minute and Matthias Ginter in the 57th, and in the 64th minute Suzuki received a second yellow card for a bad foul. Niklas Beste went off injured in the 67th minute, and Cyriaque Irie replaced him in the 69th.
Goto had come on in the 69th minute for Yannik Engelhardt. In the 85th minute he headed in from the centre of the box, from a cross by Vincenzo Grifo, who had been on since the 83rd minute. Hwang Hee-chan was booked in the 87th minute, and the game finished 2-1 after six minutes of added time.
The numbers behind it
Pacy's match stats have the teams almost level on possession, 50.6% for Freiburg against 49.4% for Schalke, even though Freiburg played the last 26 minutes of normal time a man down. The hosts took twice as many shots, 10 to 5, with 4 on goal to Schalke's 1, and had seven corners to Schalke's two.
| Stat | SC Freiburg | Schalke 04 |
|---|---|---|
| Possession (%) | 50.6 | 49.4 |
| Shots | 10 | 5 |
| Shots on goal | 4 | 1 |
| Corner kicks | 7 | 2 |
| Crosses (accurate) | 20 (3) | 11 (3) |
| Passes (accurate) | 426 (334) | 423 (330) |
| Long balls (accurate) | 61 (26) | 65 (37) |
| Tackles | 15 | 19 |
| Interceptions | 14 | 16 |
| Clearances | 23 | 40 |
| Fouls | 11 | 13 |
| Offsides | 0 | 5 |
| Saves | 0 | 3 |
Source: Pacy's match stats.
Schalke were more accurate with long balls, completing 37 of 65 against Freiburg's 26 of 61, and made 40 clearances to Freiburg's 23. Freiburg's goalkeeper did not have to make a save: Schalke's only shot on target was Karaman's goal.
Standout performers
Eggestein, who scored the opener, is listed with two shots, and Ginter completed 61 accurate passes. For Schalke, Nikola Katic had one shot, Kurucay completed 49 accurate passes, and Karius made three saves.
The table
Pacy's standings have Freiburg leading the Bundesliga on 13 points from five games, with four wins, a draw and a goal difference of +10. Borussia Dortmund are level on 13 points but second on goal difference (+7), and Bayern Munich have 11 points with a goal difference of +12. Schalke are 13th on five points, with one win, two draws and two defeats.
Freiburg came into the match on a strong run: across their previous five games, including a Conference League tie against Motherwell, they won four and drew one, scoring 16 and conceding four. Schalke's previous three league games produced a 3-1 win over Union Berlin, a 0-0 draw with Elversberg and a 3-0 defeat to Augsburg.