It was close, but...

LIVE: Red Bull Salzburg vs. TSV Hartberg!

The celebration of game-winning goal scorer Karim Konaté(Bild: GEPA)

It was close and late, but they did it—FC Red Bull Salzburg’s completely revamped team managed to secure a 1-0 victory at the very last moment to kick off the new season of Austria’s Bundesliga! A goal by substitute Karim Konaté in the 89th minute ensured that the “Bulls” could pick up three points despite a less-than-impressive performance...

In his first league game as Salzburg’s coach, Danny Röhl surprisingly gave 19-year-old ÖFB U21 national team player Valentin Zabransky his debut at center back. Alongside him in defense were Kevin Boma (center) and Dominik Schmid (left), two foreign-born players who were also getting their first taste of Bundesliga action.

The same was true on offense for 20-year-old Malian Gaoussou Diakite. Not on the roster were Adam Daghim, whose transfer to 1899 Hoffenheim is expected to be made official soon, and Edmund Baidoo, whose request to transfer—unlike that of his fellow forward—is unlikely to be granted. “He’s firmly in our plans and won’t be leaving,” said sporting director Marcus Mann in an interview with Sky.

Salzburg Inefficient Before the Break
Making their debuts for Hartberg were goalkeeper Armin Pecsi, left back Florian Gerstl, and striker Matthias Postl, who has been a prolific scorer in the Landesliga over the past few seasons. In front of 7,735 spectators, the Salzburg team played with flair, enjoying around 75 percent possession and earning eleven corner kicks before halftime, but they were unable to find the back of the net.

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In a matchup between two league debutants, 20-year-old Diakite forced Hartberg’s Pecsi into a save right away (3rd minute). The 21-year-old on loan from Liverpool then came into the spotlight again when he stopped a shot by captain Nikolas Veratschnig—which he had initially let through—and the follow-up shot by Yorbe Vertessen (31st minute).

In between, Enrique Aguilar (6th minute), Diakite (9th minute), and Abubakr Barry (27th and 29th minutes) also missed some big chances. The Styrians sat very deep and waited for counterattacks, nearly succeeding three times on their own counterattacks. Marco Hoffmann (9th, 27th) and Postl, who was played in at the far post (17th), missed their chances. The hosts’ clear dominance continued after the break, though chances were few and far between. The best opportunity of the match so far came right at the start, when Vertessen, set up by Veratschnig, missed somewhat clumsily from five yards out (47th minute).

Salzburg’s run of good form continued
In the end, it was Konate—who came on as a substitute in the 69th minute—who made the difference. A header by the striker went wide (79'), but his second header off a cross from Schmid finally sparked collective jubilation among the players in the “Bullen” jerseys. With this win, Salzburg has now gone without a loss in their opening league match since 2016; in fact, they haven’t lost a home opener since 2000. Salzburg also avenged their 1-3 loss to the Styrians in front of their home crowd in the final round of the 2025/26 league season. In addition, they managed to pull off a successful dress rehearsal ahead of Thursday’s third-round Europa League qualifying home leg against Pafos.

The result:
FC Red Bull Salzburg – TSV Hartberg 1–0 (0–0)
Salzburg, Red Bull Arena, 7,735 spectators, Referee Alain Sadikovski

Goal: 1–0 (89.) Konaté

Yellow cards: None (!)

Salzburg: Zawieschitzky – Veratschnig, Boma, Zabransky, Schmid – Barry (69' Konaté), Diabate – Redzic, Diakite (80' Krätzig), Aguilar (70' Mazurek) – Vertessen (60' Tabakovic)
Hartberg: Pecsi – Wilfinger (90. Drew), Komposch, K. Schopp, Coulibaly, Gerstl (46. Pazourek) – Kainz, Markus, Diarra (90. Feldhofer) – Hoffmann (71. Urrutia), Postl (46. Gattermayer)