SC Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu experienced a true emotional rollercoaster in Thursday night's Europa League semi-final first leg against Sporting Braga. The 23-year-old showcased both brilliance and heartbreak, making a stunning save in first-half stoppage time before a costly error deep into second-half injury time handed the Portuguese side a 2-1 victory.

Atubolu, who earlier this season set a Bundesliga record for consecutive penalty saves, lived up to his growing reputation as a "penalty killer" in the 45+2 minute. Former Eintracht Frankfurt and Schalke 04 striker Rodrigo Zalazar unleashed a powerful shot aimed perfectly at the bottom-left corner, but Atubolu somehow got down to make a magnificent stop that kept the match level heading into halftime.

The script flipped dramatically in the 90+2 minute, however. What seemed like a routine harmless shot deflected off Atubolu's hands and fell directly to Braga substitute Mario Dorgeles, who calmly slotted home the winner. The mistake left the Freiburg native visibly frustrated in his post-match interview with RTL, though he struggled to fully accept responsibility for the blunder.

"To concede such an unnecessary goal is just incomprehensible," Atubolu told RTL. "But nothing is over yet. We're making it hard on ourselves because we ran out of steam at the end. It was far too easy for them to play through." He added, "One problem is that I didn't see the ball clearly. I think Philipp Lienhart was standing almost in front of me or next to me. All I could do was get my hands up and brush it away."

Freiburg head coach Julian Schuster acknowledged the two defensive lapses that led to both goals in his own RTL interview. Taking a page from Bundesliga colleague Vincent Kompany's playbook, Schuster emphasized that plenty remains possible when the teams meet again next week at the Europa Park Stadion. "We didn't defend well enough," he admitted, while keeping the door open for a comeback in front of their home fans.