BERLIN, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- SC Freiburg returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over FC Utrecht in the Europa League on Thursday.

The Bundesliga side, winless in its previous four matches, produced a disciplined display highlighted by Vincenzo Grifo's creativity and precision. After four straight draws across all competitions, Freiburg manager Julian Schuster made several tactical changes, and they paid off. His team dictated the tempo from the opening whistle, while Utrecht, still searching for its first points in the group stage, retreated deep. Despite Freiburg's early dominance, clear chances were rare until a moment of quality broke the deadlock.

In the 20th minute, Grifo threaded a pass down the left flank to captain Christian Gunter, whose cutback found Yuito Suzuki unmarked in the box. The Japanese forward fired under the crossbar for his first competitive goal for Freiburg. Utrecht goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas kept the visitors in contention with saves from Suzuki and Eggestein, but the pressure mounted.

Just before halftime, Grifo doubled the lead with trademark finesse. From a central free kick, the Italian midfielder curled the ball over the wall and into the top corner, his second set piece goal in as many matches. The strike capped a dominant first half in which Freiburg controlled possession and denied Utrecht a shot on target.

After the break, Freiburg eased its intensity but remained comfortable. Utrecht's Sebastien Haller tested keeper Noah Atubolu twice, yet the visitors lacked precision in the final third. Eggestein came closest to adding a third, but Barkas denied him from close range.

"It would've been perfect if we had scored a third goal," Schuster said. "But I'm very pleased that we didn't concede and worked well defensively. If we had made it 2-0 a bit earlier, the game would have been even more comfortable. The boys stayed focused throughout, and that's why it is a well-deserved 2-0 victory."

The result lifts Freiburg to fifth in the Europa League standings, following a win over Basel and a draw in Bologna, while Utrecht stays bottom with three defeats from three. Freiburg's next European match is away at OGC Nice on Nov. 6, while domestically it faces Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday afternoon. ■