That saw Julian Schuster's men into the UEFA Europa League (UEL) semi-final 4-3 on aggregate, denying the 2011 finalists a return to the showpiece.
With Freiburg attempting to set a UEL record of 11 successive home wins, Braga’s first-leg lead was already hanging by a thread before Mario Dorgeles was sent off just six minutes in for hauling Jan-Niklas Beste down just outside the area after he was sent through on goal by Igor Matanovic.
Beste took responsibility for the free-kick himself, which deflected narrowly wide, but the home side only needed until the 19th minute to make the man advantage count.
Kubler kept the pressure on after Braga failed to clear a Vincenzo Grifo cross, before an attempted clearance ricocheted off Kubler’s shin and nestled in the bottom corner.
Despite Freiburg possession ticking over the 75% mark in the first half, a driving run and shot straight at Lukas Hornicek from Johan Manzambi soon after looked to have been Julian Schuster’s side’s best chance of going ahead in the tie before half-time, until four minutes before the break, when Manzambi was given the space to drift infield from the left and produce a beautiful 25-yard curler effort that sailed past Hornicek.
Having taken the lead, the hosts almost threw it away in added time, as Víctor Gomez rounded Noah Atubolu and struck the post, before Rodrigo Zalazar’s rebound was superbly blocked by Kubler.
The Breisgau-Brasilianer came close to pressing their advantage home multiple times in the first 10 minutes after the restart – Grifo’s strike from the edge of the area struck the base of the post, before Matthias Ginter sent the sweetest of 30-yard volleys a whisker wide.
Then, Hornicek’s outstretched glove parrying a drive destined for the top corner denied Manzambi a spectacular brace. But failure to put the Portuguese side away made them a dangerous prospect on the break, and Atubolu had to be alert at his near post to deny Jean-Baptiste Gorby before the hour mark.
Unbeaten in 11 European second legs, Os Arcebispos thought that run was extending when Joao Moutinho produced a curling effort, but it flew inches wide.
They then had Hornicek to thank for keeping their hopes alive as he saved from Beste and, at the resulting corner, somehow kept out Matanovic’s header and Ginter’s follow-up in a brilliant double save.
But there was nothing the ‘keeper could do 18 minutes from time, when Grifo’s free-kick was headed in firmly by Kubler. The hosts’ plans for the final were then interrupted in the 79th minute by Pau Victor, nodding in after Gomez volleyed Moutinho’s free-kick across goal, cutting the aggregate lead back to one.
Atabolu tipped a dipping Gorby strike over two minutes from time, as Freiburg held on to reach Istanbul with a maiden win over Portuguese opposition, while just a fourth defeat in 21 UEL matches proved costly for Braga.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lukas Kubler (SC Freiburg)
