Nigeria-eligible goalkeeper Noah Atubolu made a big impact in the German Bundesliga as Freiburg’s registered an emphatic 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen on Friday night, Soccernet.ng reports.
The SC Freiburg goalkeeper reinforced his reputation as a penalty specialist, setting a new Bundesliga record with his fourth consecutive penalty save.
Freiburg's number one had already stopped spot-kicks from Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Union Berlin duo Josip Juranovic and Kevin Volland last season. On Friday, he added another to his collection, denying André Silva from 12 yards after a VAR intervention penalised Kiliann Sildillia for handball.
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Silva struck his penalty with power towards the right corner, but Atubolu guessed correctly, diving sharply to palm the effort away. The 22-year-old was delighted with the save, telling DAZN as per Kicker:
“That looked cool! I was very happy to sav e a penalty here at home in front of our fans.”
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Atubolu now joins an exclusive group of Bundesliga goalkeepers, including Jörg Butt, Frank Rost, Thomas Zander, and Bernd Leno, as the only players to have saved four consecutive penalties in the league.
However, when pressed about his secret to stopping penalties, Atubolu remained tight-lipped.
“I spend a lot of time studying penalties and preparing for every situation. Of course, I have my tricks, but I won’t reveal them,” he said with a grin.
While Atubolu’s penalty save was a standout moment, Freiburg’s performance was nothing short of spectacular.
The hosts, unchanged from their 1-0 win over St. Pauli, took a first-half lead in style when Sildillia acrobatically converted an overhead kick from a flicked-on corner in the 15th minute.
Just over 15 minutes later, Vincenzo Grifo doubled Freiburg’s advantage with a sublime free-kick, curling his effort over the wall and past the helpless Michael Zetterer. The home side went into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead, with Bremen’s only real threat coming from Silva’s missed penalty.
The second half saw Freiburg shift into another gear. Grifo grabbed his second of the night in the 53rd minute, finishing off a well-worked move following a headed one-two between Ritsu Doan and Lucas Höler.
Doan then got in on the act himself, firing a low drive past Zetterer in the 76th minute after being teed up by substitute Eren Dinkci. The Japanese forward wasn’t done yet, adding his second in added time to cap off Freiburg’s biggest win of the season.
Atubolu's cean sheet streak continues
Atubolu’s penalty save was just one part of a defensive masterclass. Freiburg have now kept four consecutive clean sheets, extending their unbeaten run and moving into fourth place in the Bundesliga table—at least temporarily.
Schuster was full of praise for his goalkeeper after the match.
“Atu was outstanding today, not just with the penalty save, but also dealing with crosses and set-pieces. He has a great combination of shot-stopping and composure on the ball. We’re very happy to have him.”
Freiburg will now look to extend their clean sheet streak when they face Augsburg next Sunday. If Atubolu keeps his goal intact for at least 111 more minutes across their next two fixtures, he will break Freiburg’s club record for the longest period without conceding, set in the 2000/01 season.
