Freiburg failed to capitalise on an opportunity to move into fourth place in the Bundesliga after being held to a goalless draw away at Augsburg on Sunday.
Riding a wave of momentum from four consecutive victories, Freiburg struggled to break down a resilient Augsburg defence.
The home side created the better chances, nearly snatching a last-gasp winner when Steve Mounie struck the post in stoppage time.
“There were opportunities to be dangerous, but we didn’t manage to produce them often enough,” Freiburg coach Julian Schuster told DAZN.
The draw leaves Freiburg in fifth place, one point behind fourth-placed Mainz as they continue their bid for a first-ever Champions League qualification.
Augsburg, who were hovering near the relegation zone earlier in the season, extended their unbeaten streak to eight matches and now sit six points behind the European spots.
Earlier on Sunday, Holstein Kiel gave their survival hopes a boost with a 1-0 away win over fellow strugglers Union Berlin.
Armin Gigovic scored the decisive goal in the 43rd minute, turning on a pass from Shuto Machino before finishing from close range. Kiel thought they had doubled their lead on the hour mark, but Phil Harres’ strike was ruled out for offside.
The loss compounded a difficult week for Union Berlin, who on Friday lost an appeal against the DFB’s decision to strip them of a point and award Bochum a 2-0 victory.
The ruling stemmed from a December match where a Bochum goalkeeper was struck by a lighter thrown from the Berlin crowd.
Kiel’s victory, their first away from home this season, moved them off the bottom of the table, just one point behind Bochum, who occupy the relegation playoff spot.
Union remain seven points clear of Kiel, but with only two wins in their last 17 games, their top-flight status is far from secure.
