Derby County's Austria trip concluded with a 3-1 defeat to SC Freiburg at Velly Arena on Friday afternoon. The scoreline perhaps didn't reflect the flow of the contest, a bout which was largely equal across its 120 minutes, with Derby enjoying the better opportunities in the first hour.
What happened during the match? Derby County's first half started with a chance created on the counter. Bobby Clark drove on the breakaway to the edge of the Freiburg box, subsequently finds Oscar Fraulo, but the Dane's strike was straight at Mio Backhaus. Last season's UEFA Europa League finalists found the net from their first attack. Individual brilliance from Cyriaque Irié saw him weave between two Derby defenders to curl into the far corner of Josh Vickers' goal.
Why it matters for Derby County? But the Rams restored parity within four minutes. Fraulo's relentless pressing - a theme of Derby's play throughout - saw him pinch the ball back from Yannik Engelhardt, in tandem with Carlton Morris, before the ball broke for the latter to finish clinically into the roof of the net from 12 yards.
What comes next? Captain Lewis Travis prevented the German side from re-taking the lead, sliding in on the goal line to avert Mateo Zelic's goal-bound effort. Fresh from the first hydration break on the half-hour mark, Derby grew stronger. Again, the tenacious Fraulo was present to intercept the ball in midfield, playing into Morris, who found Joe Ward, with the winger's first-time pull back placed inches wide of the far post by Ryan Hedges.
