Freiburg edged a nervy relegation battle away to bottom club Nuremberg on Saturday, their 1-0 victory giving them breathing room as they moved up to mid-table.

Nuremberg 0-1 Freiburg

Goals: 0-1 Gulde (19')

As was perhaps to be expected in a match featuring two teams eager to avoid the drop, the opening period was fiercely contested as each sought to establish the upper hand. Freiburg drew first blood midway through the first half, as Manuel Gulde got the slightest of touches on Christian Günter's free-kick. The visitors subsequently sat back and allows Nuremberg to attack, but despite promising chances for Virgil Misidjan, Matheus Pereira and Adam Zrelak, they were unable to force an equaliser before the interval.

Nuremberg did have the ball in the net early in the second half though, when Zrelak prodded over the line from Lukas Mühl's pass, but it was rightly ruled out for offside. The remainder of the half was essentially one-way traffic towards the Freiburg goal as Der Club desperately tried to claw their way back into the game, but the visitors' organised rearguard held firm to lift Christian Streich's men seven points clear of the drop zone, and leave Nuremberg rooted to the foot of the table.

Adam Zrelak had a goal ruled out in bottom club Nuremberg's home defeat to Freiburg. - Sebastian Widmann/Bongarts/Getty Images

Match stats

• Der Club have won none of their last 11 Bundesliga games, losing six of the last seven.
• Florian Niederlechner returned to Freiburg's starting XI for the first time since 22 September following an ankle injury.
• Freiburg scored with the very first shot of the game.
• Gulde's goal was just the second of his Bundesliga career. He netted his first in Hannover in February 2018.
• Nuremberg have not beaten Freiburg since March 2005, when Marek Mintal struck a brace in a 3-2 win.
• Freiburg captain Mike Frantz featured in 108 Bundesliga games for Nuremberg between 2008 and 2014.

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Line-ups

Nuremberg: Bredlow – Bauer (Ewerton 85'), Margreitter (c), Mühl, Leibold – Pereira, Petrak, Kerk (Kubo 57') – Misidjan (Ishak 78'), Zrelak, Palacios
Unused subs: Klandt, Erras, Fuchs, Rhein
Out: Lippert (knee), Mathenia (knee), Behrens (abdominal), Goden (knock), Löwen (knee)
Coach: Michael Köllner

Freiburg: Schwolow – Kübler, Gulde, Heintz, Günter – Haberer, Frantz (c) (Lienhart 72'), Koch, Gondorf – Niederlechner (Petersen 46'), Höler (Waldschmidt 72')
Unused subs: Flekken, Kammerbauer, Stenzel, Ravet
Out: Höfler (knee), Kath (stomach), Kleindienst (knee), Sallai (adductor), Borrello (knee)
Coach: Christian Streich

About the clubs

SC Freiburg

Europa-Park Stadion

1. FC Nürnberg

Max-Morlock-Stadion