Youth League

Young Bulls current

Captain Valentin Sulzbacher scored the penalty with ease.(Bild: Fabian Weirather - FC Red Bull Salzburg)

Salzburg's U19s defeated Atletico Madrid 2:1 in the last 16 of the Youth League. An early exclusion did not upset the young bulls. They now face Sturm Graz or Olympiakos Piraeus at home in the quarter-finals.

What a thriller! Salzburg are through to the quarter-finals of the Youth League after a spirited performance against Atlético Madrid. The young bulls deservedly won 2:1 at the academy in Liefering.

The young bulls got off to a very good start, coming out of the locker room energetically and thus also creating the first opportunities. There were two penalty alerts in the Madrid penalty area. First Tim Paumgartner was pushed, then Kenneth Adejenughure was pulled to the ground - but both times the whistle of Danish referee Jakob Sundberg remained silent. Not in the 35th minute, however, when left-back Lassina Traore received his second yellow card for a foul, doing his team a disservice. For tactical reasons, coach Daniel Beichler took off striker Kenneth Adejenughure and substituted Jakob Brandtner. They went into half-time with the score at 0-0.

The second 45 minutes started similarly to the first. Salzburg took control of the game and went on the attack for all it was worth. The first goal for the visitors came in the 48th minute, but the flag was up. Almost ten minutes later, however, the young bulls were rewarded for their spirited efforts. Captain Valentin Sulzbacher won the ball in his own half, passed to Brandtner, who played on to Edmund Baidoo. The Ghanaian put the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net. After an hour, Salzburg were awarded a penalty for a foul on Enrique Aguilar and Atletico's David Fernandez was shown a yellow card. Captain Sulzbacher outmuscled the goalkeeper and scored to make it 2:0, but the "Rojiblancos" did not give up and scored the equalizer in the 65th minute through Romeo Hueso.

After that, the Mozartstädter's strength waned somewhat, the attacks were no longer as energetic and the first lapses in concentration crept in. Salzburg goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky made a superb save from an Atletico free-kick on the edge of the penalty area.

The win means Salzburg will play the winner of the match between Sturm Graz and Olympiakos Piraeus at home in the quarter-finals on April 1 or 2. Graz will welcome last year's winners to the Styrian capital on Wednesday at 15:30.

Youth League, round of 16: Salzburg - Atlético Madrid 2:1 (0:0). Goal sequence: 1:0 (56') Baidoo, 2:0 (62', penalty) Sulzbacher, 2:1 (65') Hueso - Yellow-red: Traore (S., 35', foul), Fernandez (A., 61', foul). - Salzburg (4-3-1-2): Zawieschitzky; Trummer, Zabransky, Mellberg (59. Schuster), Traore; Striednig, Paumgartner, Sulzbacher; Aguilar; Baidoo (83. Lukic), Adejenughure (38. Brandtner). - Academy Liefering, Sundberg (Den).