Sensational start

LIVE: Red Bull Salzburg vs. Austria Vienna!

Great jubilation among the Violets – not many would have predicted their victory at Red Bull Salzburg ...(Bild: GEPA)

League leaders Red Bull Salzburg got off to a bad start in the Bundesliga spring season! The Bulls were defeated 0:2 (0:2) at home by Vienna's Austria on Friday. Goals from Abubakr Barry (21') and Johannes Eggestein (24') gave the favorites their first away win in Salzburg in more than eleven years and temporarily moved them up to third place in the table. LASK, currently in second place, could draw level on points with Salzburg with a home win against WSG Tirol on Saturday.

Both teams started with their expected lineups in front of 7,459 spectators. Mamady Diambou replaced the suspended Soumaila Diabate for Salzburg, while new signing Damir Redzic was still missing from the squad as he had to serve the last game of a suspension from his former club Dunajska Streda. For Austria, midfielder Lee Kang-hee was preferred to Dejan Radonjic on the right side of the three-man defense.

Double strike before the break
The Viennese did not allow Salzburg to dominate the first 20 minutes as they usually do. The Bulls had more than 70 percent possession, but no compelling chances. Instead, Barry scored with a spectacular shot into the top corner after a one-two with Manfred Fischer. It was Salzburg's first home goal conceded against Austria since April 2023. But it got even worse, with the Violets once again proving their strength from set pieces: after a corner turned into a goal by Sanel Saljic, the Bulls' defense was focused on the tall Tin Plavotic – the ball went to Eggestein, who pushed it over the line from close range.

Edmund Baidoo missed an opportunity to pull one back after a pass from Tim Trummer (27'). He managed to do so five minutes later, but the goal was disallowed after intervention by the video assistant referee (VAR). Baidoo was narrowly offside when he headed in Jannik Schuster's corner. A shot from Sota Kitano went wide (38'), and one from the formidable Barry at the other end went just over the bar (42').

Long dry spell ends
Salzburg coach Thomas Letsch brought on Maurits Kjaergaard and Moussa Yeo at half-time, followed shortly afterwards by Clement Bischoff, but Austria goalkeeper Samuel Sahin-Radlinger thwarted Baidoo's only big chance (52'). The Bulls kept trying, but once again revealed their problems against an increasingly deep-lying opponent after the break. In the 81st minute, Stephan Helm, in his 50th Bundesliga game as Austria coach, helped U17 vice world champion Vasilije Markovic make his debut with the pros.

Austria has not lost a league opener since 2019. Salzburg, on the other hand, suffered its third home defeat of the Bundesliga season and missed out on equaling Rapid's league record. The Hütteldorfers remain the sole record holders with 24 unbeaten games against one opponent (Wacker Innsbruck/1993-1999). Austria's winless streak against Salzburg ended after 24 competitive games, 23 of them in the league. The Viennese had last won against the former serial champions in the 2018 league finale (4-0). Their last away win at the Red Bull Arena to date was a 3-2 victory on September 21, 2014. Eighteen attempts since then had been unsuccessful.

The result:
FC Red Bull Salzburg – FK Austria Vienna 0-2 (0-2)
Wals-Siezenheim, Red Bull Arena, 7,459 spectators, referee Harald Lechner

Goals: 0:1 (21.) Barry, 0:2 (24.) Eggestein

Yellow card: Handl

Salzburg: Schlager – Trummer (54. Bischoff), Gadou, Schuster, Krätzig (71. Onisiwo) – Kitano, Bidstrup, Diambou (46. Kjaergaard), Alajbegovic – Baidoo, Konate (46. Yeo)
Austria: Sahin-Radlinger – Lee K. (81. Markovic), Dragovic, Plavotic – Ranftl, Maybach (61. Radonjic), Barry (89. Handl), Lee T. – Fischer, Eggestein, Saljic (61. Aleksa)