Noah Atubolu reflects on ‘special’ Bundesliga reunion with Freiburg

Noah Atubolu reflects on ‘special’ Bundesliga reunion with Freiburg Noah Atubolu enjoyed a strong afternoon against his former club on Saturday, helping Eintracht Frankfurt claim a point in an entertaining 2-2 Bundesliga draw with SC Freiburg. The 24-year-old goalkeeper faced his hometown club for the first time since leaving Breisgau and produced several important interventions against a Freiburg side that generated 22 shots and 2.73 expected goals. Atubolu could do little about either goal. Derry Scherhant drove Freiburg’s first equalizer low toward the far corner after being released into space in the 34th minute , while Yuito Suzuki converted Scherhant’s far-post delivery shortly after halftime. The Germany international nevertheless repeatedly prevented Freiburg from turning their territorial superiority into a victory. Atubolu produces several important saves against Freiburg Atubolu’s first significant intervention came after half an hour when Niklas Beste worked himself into a promising shooting position inside the penalty area. The former Freiburg keeper stood his ground and saved the low effort. His best stop came shortly before halftime. Fresh Germany call-up Scherhant stepped up for a direct free kick approximately 20 meters from goal and struck a powerful effort toward the left side of the net. Atubolu reacted sharply enough to get his fingertips to the ball and divert it onto the post. The save preserved Frankfurt’s 2-1 halftime advantage. Atubolu remained busy after the restart as Freiburg continued applying pressure. Scherhant eventually supplied Suzuki with the 48th-minute equalizer, but the Frankfurt keeper helped ensure that Julian Schuster’s side could not complete the turnaround despite finishing the match with considerably more shots and a higher xG total. The performance also came amid an important week internationally for Atubolu. The goalkeeper is among the players selected as part of Jürgen Klopp’s expanded Germany squad and entered Saturday’s match alongside several other newly selected internationals. For Atubolu, however, the Freiburg reunion carried additional personal significance. The Freiburg academy product spent the formative portion of his career in Breisgau before establishing himself as a Bundesliga goalkeeper there. Returning to face familiar teammates consequently made Saturday one of the more special fixtures of his professional career. Atubolu insisted that the occasion brought excitement rather than additional pressure. The 24-year-old also seemed pleased with his unexpected decision to remain in the Bundesliga, a choice that has already helped him extend his penalty-saving record in addition keeping him squarely within Klopp’s frame of vision. Noah Atubolu on facing Freiburg “No, there wasn’t any additional pressure,” Atubolu said when asked what it was like to play against his former club. “The joy was immense. I could hardly wait for the game to begin. I wish we could have played last night. It was simply a lot of fun to play against lads that one knows and see them on the pitch. It was fun to see what it was like to play against them after being a part of [their team] for so many years.” “For me, it’s fundamentally a privilege to play in the Bundesliga,” Atubolu continued. “Every game is special. For me personally, it was one of the most special moments of my career to play against my hometown club. I’m also very privileged to play for Germany and am very grateful. Now it’s time [to go into the locker room] and talk about the game [with my old teammates] .” GGFN | Peter Weis