SC Freiburg scored an 85th-minute winner through substitute Keisuke Goto to defeat Schalke 2-1 in their Bundesliga encounter at the Europa-Park-Stadion on Sunday, despite playing the final 26 minutes with 10 men.
Maximilian Eggestein gave Freiburg the lead in the 10th minute, finishing from close range after Matthias Ginter kept an attacking move alive.
The hosts started brightly and created early pressure before Schalke gradually found their footing in the contest.
Schalke restored parity in the 30th minute when Kenan Karaman converted from close range following a set-piece situation involving Adrian Gantenbein.
Both sides continued to search for another goal, but Freiburg suffered a setback in the 64th minute when Yuito Suzuki received a second yellow card and was sent off.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, Freiburg continued to threaten and eventually found the decisive goal five minutes from time.
Vincenzo Grifo delivered a cross from the left, which Goto met with a firm header to beat Schalke goalkeeper Loris Karius and put the hosts ahead.
Schalke pushed for an equaliser during the closing stages, but Freiburg held firm to secure all three points.
The visitors had earlier come close to scoring when Nikola Katić struck the woodwork, but they could not find a way past the home side’s defence again.
Freiburg finished the match with 10 attempts on goal, four of which were on target, while Schalke managed five shots, with one hitting the target.
The hosts also created three big chances compared with none for the visitors, underlining their attacking advantage despite the dismissal.
Goto made an immediate impact after coming on in the 69th minute, scoring the winner to cap an efficient performance off the bench.
Eggestein also played a key role with his first-half goal as Freiburg secured a hard-fought victory over Schalke.
