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Matanovic shines on Freiburg debut: double pack brings victory!
Igor Matanovic, ex-St. Pauli professional, celebrates his Bundesliga debut with a brace for SC Freiburg in the game against Stuttgart.
Matanovic shines on Freiburg debut: double pack brings victory!
An exciting Sunday for SC Freiburg: Igor Matanovic, who once laced up his football boots at St. Pauli, celebrated a dream debut for his new club. In the last afternoon kick against VfB Stuttgart, Matanovic scored two goals, which secured SC Freiburg a deserved 3-1 win. The encounter took place in the home stadium and caused great joy among the fans.
At half-time things didn't look good for the Breisgau team: they were 0-1 behind. But the 23-year-old Matanovic, who only came on in the 78th minute, proved his cool. He equalized just three minutes after coming on as a substitute. And when it looked like the final whistle would be over, he made the final score 3-1 with a penalty in stoppage time.
A promising change
The move to Freiburg came after an exciting time at Eintracht Frankfurt. Matanovic, born in Hamburg, had an impressive development behind him. After his debut season in the 2nd Bundesliga and two years on loan at St. Pauli, where he caused a sensation, he was most recently active at Karlsruher SC. There he scored an impressive 14 goals and provided seven assists in 32 appearances.
His path to FC Freiburg was a logical step. Jochen Saier, the club's sporting director, speaks of Matanovic as a physically strong player who poses a threat in front of goal. This assessment was clearly confirmed on the most recent match day. Matanovic himself described the decision to move to Freiburg as “authentic and ambitious”. From a sporting perspective, he liked the idea of playing in such an ambitious environment.
Bundesliga and national successes
Currently, Matanovic has also caught the attention of the Croatian national team. He made his debut in September 2024 and has since played five international matches in which he scored one goal. It seems as if the decision to continue his career at SC Freiburg is important not only for him but also for the national team.
At a time when competition in the Bundesliga is high, Matanovic shows promise and could develop the potential to establish himself as one of SC Freiburg's key players. With this in mind, the question remains what next steps he will take on this path. The fans will be watching the developments with interest.
However, the signs are less positive for Eintracht Frankfurt, from which Matanovic moved to Freiburg. Their game against Bayer 04 Leverkusen ultimately ended with a 1:3, which doesn't necessarily improve the situation for Frankfurt. The pressure in the league is growing, while Freiburg is gaining momentum thanks to Matanovic's fresh breath.
Matanovic wears the number 31 in Freiburg and it remains to be seen what goals and successes he can contribute this season.