“He’s been having a hard time.”

A beaming SC Freiburg trainer Christian Streich, along with midfielder Maximilian Eggestein, were sure to single out hat-trick hero Michael Gregoritsch as the player they were most happy for Thursday night’s 5-0 Europa League win over Olympiakos.

Just one match removed from his return to SC Freiburg trainer Christian Streich’s league starting XI after a long absence, Austrian striker Michael Gregoritsch bagged a hat-trick in his team’s 5-0 win over Olympiakos on Thursday evening. Speaking to the RTL microphones after Thursday’s win, Streich and midfielder Maximilian Eggestein expressed glee that the 29-year-old was able to get off the mark so quickly.

“Gregerl [Gregoritsch] was having such a hard time,” Streich told his interviewer, “He had an injury and all sorts of things. Then he scored the 1-0. That was world class.”

“Sometimes you need a game like this to get a bit of frustration off your chest,” Eggestein added, “Gregerl hasn’t had an easy time, but today he rewarded himself with an outstanding performance.”

Streich maintained his ecstatic mood both throughout his post-match interview and the official post-match presser. While the Breisgauer still could stand to benefit from a win against West Ham United on the final group-stage match-day (which will allow them to bypass the knockout-round playoffs and head straight to the round-of-16), Streich made clear he was pleased with his side’s UEL campaign thus far.

“That was a great evening,” Streich said at the presser, “We’ve played some great games in the Europa League and that’s something very special.”

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