SC Freiburg secured a 3-1 victory over Scottish side FC Motherwell in their Conference League playoff first leg on Thursday, taking a commanding lead into next week's return fixture.
Motherwell struck early as Regan Charles-Cook scored after just 69 seconds to give the hosts an early advantage. Freiburg levelled through Matthias Ginter in the 28th minute and seized control after the break when Motherwell's Martin Moormann was sent off following a video review in the 65th minute. Ginter converted the resulting penalty before Keisuke Goto sealed the win in stoppage time.
Freiburg, the first Bundesliga club to begin its competitive season, were missing striker Lucas Höler, who became a father for the second time. The German side lost May's Europa League final 3-0 to Aston Villa in Istanbul. The return leg takes place next Thursday in Freiburg, followed by a DFB-Pokal first-round tie against Fortuna Düsseldorf on Sunday.