A Thrilling Finish

Salzburg Misses Chance to Take the Lead in Ried

It was a wild finish, but there was no winner on Friday in Ried.(Bild: GEPA)

Red Bull Salzburg failed to climb to the top of the Austrian Bundesliga standings. After six consecutive wins in competitive play, coach Danny Röhl’s team could not manage more than a 1-1 (0-0) draw at SV Ried on Friday to kick off the 6th round. 

Karim Konate (84') put the dominant visitors ahead in front of 6,041 spectators in the Innviertel, but Philipp Pomer (86') equalized shortly thereafter. Salzburg sits in second place, one point behind LASK, while Ried has moved up to eighth place for now.

(Bild: GEPA)

Röhl once again put his trust in his “starting lineup.” Compared to Sunday’s 3–0 win over second-division side St. Pölten in the second round of the ÖFB Cup, there were seven changes; none were made based on the team’s most recent 5–1 home league victory against Rapid. For Ried, compared to the 2-3 loss in Hartberg, Dejan Radonjic (for Lukas Malicsek) and Pomer (for Oliver Sorg) moved into the starting lineup on defense, and Martin Rasner (for Evan Eghosa Aisowieren) joined the starting lineup in midfield.

Salzburg played as if they were the home team
From the start, Salzburg played like the home team at the BWT Oberösterreichische Arena, dictating the pace at will and putting the Ried defense under serious pressure. Edmund Baidoo hit the post, and Ried goalkeeper Andreas Leitner was then able to clear the ball after it had struck him in the back (9th minute). The second winger, Yorbe Vertessen, first missed with a header (14th minute) and then, on an even better chance from 11 meters out, shot well over the crossbar (27th minute).

(Bild: APA/EXPA/ UWE WINTER)

Salzburg’s go-to scorer, Haris Tabakovic, had one chance to shine, but his cross from a very tight angle—after he’d rounded Leitner—found no takers (31st minute). Ried’s goalie made another fine save shortly afterward on a shot by Baidoo (33rd minute). The Innviertler were fortunate to keep the score at 0–0 for the time being, but they barely managed to get out of their own half. The fact that they didn’t register a single shot, compared to Salzburg’s 14, underscored this.

(Bild: GEPA)

Konate’s Goal Wasn’t Enough for an Away Win
After the restart, the Innviertler nearly turned the game on its head, but Pape Sissoko shot over the bar from 13 meters with his weaker left foot (49'). On the other end, it was Vertessen twice more (51st, 54th) who lacked a cool finish. Shortly afterward, he was replaced by the Dane Jesper Lindström, who made his league debut in the 58th minute. Later, Damir Redzic and Konate entered the game. Immediately after Tabakovic missed a header, Konate scored with the outside of his foot following a lucky ball recovery by Lindström. It was Konate’s fourth goal of the season.

(Bild: GEPA)

Ried, however, responded immediately. Nikolas Veratschnig managed to deflect a shot by Malicsek into a corner kick. Yusuf Maart sent the corner kick into the middle, where Pomer headed it in at the near post. Ried nearly pulled off the win, but “super sub” Aisowieren slipped on his way to making it 3–2 (94'). Thus, Despotovic’s team remains with just one win this season; however, following the 2–3 loss in Hartberg, the point was clearly a positive result. Salzburg also went unbeaten in its twelfth competitive match under Röhl, though for the third time, they failed to secure a victory.

SV Ried – Red Bull Salzburg 1–1 (0–0)
Ried, BWT Upper Austrian Arena, 6,041 spectators, Referee Schnur.

Goals: 0 –1 (84.) Konate, 1–1 (86.) Pomer

Ried: Leitner – Radonjic, Chukwudi, Steurer, Pomer – Schwab, Maart, Rasner (72’ L. Malicsek) – Bajic, Nasrawe (72’ Rhodes/92’ Aisowieren) – Sissoko (54’ Boguo)

Salzburg: Zawieschitzky – Veratschnig, Boma, Zabransky, Schmid – Mazurek, Barry – E. Baidoo (73' Redzic), Kitano (73' Konate), Vertessen (58' Lindström) – Tabakovic

Yellow cards: Schwab , Despotovic (coach) and Kitano, Barry, Veratschnig