Julian Schuster hails Freiburg spirit after dramatic Schalke win to top Bundesliga

Keisuke Goto headed home Vincenzo Grifo's cross in the 85th minute at the Europa-Park Stadion on Sunday to send Freiburg to the top of the table.

Julian Schuster's side had taken the lead through Maximilian Eggestein in the 10th minute, but Adrian Gantenbein equalised for Schalke before half-time.

Freiburg's task became more difficult when Yuito Suzuki was sent off in the 64th minute. However, rather than simply defending their point, the hosts continued to look for a winner and were rewarded five minutes from time.

Schuster praised his players' unity and determination, highlighting the importance of having a squad in which everyone contributes, including those who begin matches on the bench.

"This is our biggest asset, this dressing room," the Freiburg coach said, emphasising the need to protect the strong team spirit that has helped his side make an encouraging start to the campaign.

Schuster was particularly pleased with his players' response to Suzuki's dismissal.

"We knew Schalke were capable of getting back into the game at any moment, and that's exactly what happened," he said. "After Yuito was sent off, the team stepped up for him."

The substitutes played a decisive role, with Grifo setting up Goto's winning goal just two minutes after coming on.

Eggestein, who opened the scoring, acknowledged that Freiburg had struggled to maintain their usual level after going down to 10 men but praised their determination.

"Especially after the red card, it wasn't a top performance anymore, but in terms of fighting spirit, it was very good," the midfielder said.

The result underlined Freiburg's ability to grind out a victory under pressure, with their collective effort proving more important than individual performances.

Schuster will now prepare his side for Thursday's Conference League fixture against FK Jablonec before Freiburg return to Bundesliga action away to Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.