"X" in Wolfsberg

Salzburg Misses Countless Chances – WAC Leads 1-0

Salzburg squandered its chances in Wolfsberg.(Bild: APA/WOLFGANG JANNACH)

Red Bull Salzburg failed to win for the first time in its fourth competitive match under coach Danny Röhl. Despite creating more chances, the former serial champion had to settle for a 1-1 draw at WAC on Sunday in the second round of the Austrian Bundesliga. After Wolfsberg took the lead through Giacomo Vrioni (67'), Yorbe Vertessen (79') managed only to equalize in front of 5,351 spectators at the Lavanttal Arena. Both teams remain undefeated and are tied at four points.

Salzburg has now gone four games without a win in Wolfsberg, though at least they were able to pick up a point again after two consecutive losses. However, this result did little to boost their confidence ahead of Thursday’s second leg against Pafos FC (7:00 p.m.) in Limassol for the third round of the Europa League qualifiers. Röhl’s squad will be defending a 1-0 lead from last Thursday’s first leg.

Major Lineup Shuffle for the Visitors
Salzburg coach Danny Röhl made extensive lineup changes. With goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky, captain Nikolas Veratschnig, and Kevin Boma, only three players in the starting lineup had also started against Pafos. This wasn’t entirely by choice. With Enrique Aguilar, Edmund Baidoo, Soumaila Diabate, and Gaoussou Diakite, there were four additional injury-related absences. For Wolfsberg, following their 3-0 opening win against Wiener Austria, there was no reason for coach Thomas Silberberger to make any changes.

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  The hosts nearly got off to a dream start, but Aaron Sky Schwarz missed the target from a good position following a corner kick (9th minute). The “Bulls” clearly had the better of the play, but WAC goalkeeper Nikolas Polster proved unbeatable on the few clear-cut chances they had. He stopped shots from league debutant Aboubacar Camara (20th minute) and Haris Tabakovic (22nd minute), who nearly capitalized on a misplaced cross from Fabian Wohlmuth. For the Carinthians, Donis Avdijaj also had a header opportunity (42').

WAC Takes the Lead Out of Nowhere
After the restart, the pressure from the Salzburg team—led by former WAC player Nikolas Veratschnig as captain—intensified. Polster thwarted a chip attempt by Karim Konate (48th minute), a shot by Frans Krätzig (53rd minute), and was also on hand to stop another Konate shot at the start of a double chance (59th minute). Two minutes later, the visitors unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty after a challenge between Cheick Diabate and Tabakovic in the penalty area; after a lengthy VAR review, the call was denied.

WAC wavered but turned the game on its head. After a pass from Wohlmuth, Vrioni took a shot from just outside the penalty area and was lucky that Zawieschitzky let the ball slip under his body. It was the Albanian’s third goal of the season. The nature of the match remained unchanged. Salzburg dictated the pace, and Tabakovic squandered another chance (71st minute). Vertessen, who had only come on as a substitute in the 68th minute, fared better. The forward tapped in from point-blank range after Boma had perfectly headed a Krätzig free-kick cross into the middle at the far post. A heated finish ensued with numerous yellow cards for WAC, but no further goals were scored.

WAC – Red Bull Salzburg 1–1 (0–0)
Wolfsberg, Lavanttal Arena, 5,351 spectators, Referee Simsek.

Goals: 1:0 (67.) Vrioni
1:1 (79.) Vertessen

WAC: Polster – Behounek, C. Diabate, Wimmer – Wohlmuth, Sulzner, Agyemang (75' Schriebl), Schwarz (75' Renner) – Schabauer (64' Karamoko), Vrioni (85' Hassler), Avdijaj (64' O. Mamageishvili)

Salzburg: Zawieschitzky – Veratschnig, Boma, Drexler (57. Zabransky), Krätzig – Mazurek, Kjaergaard (46. Barry) – Kitano (68. Vertessen), Konate (83. Morgalla), A. Camara (57. Redzic) – Tabakovic

Yellow cards: C. Diabate, Sulzner, Schriebl, Jochum (assistant coach), O. Mamageishvili, Renner, and A. Camara