Tabakovic's Game-Winning Goal

Salzburg Leaves Sofia With Three Points

Jubilation among the Bulls(Bild: AFP/NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV)

A successful start to European competition for FC Red Bull Salzburg! On Thursday, the team from the City of Mozart secured a 1-0 victory over Levski Sofia on the first matchday of the Europa League group stage. Haris Tabakovic scored the winning goal in the 39th minute.

FC Red Bull Salzburg kicked off the Europa League with an away victory, taking the first step toward the knockout stage. On Thursday evening, the Salzburgers defeated Bulgarian champions and league leaders Levski Sofia 1-0 (1-0). Goal-scorer Haris Tabakovic netted the winning goal shortly before halftime (39th minute). The Bulls remain undefeated after 13 competitive matches this season under new head coach Danny Röhl.

Tim Drexler replaced the ailing Valentin Zabransky in Salzburg’s central defense. In the attacking midfield behind lone striker Tabakovic, Sota Kitano was chosen over Karim Konate. Levski’s Spanish championship-winning coach, Julio Velazquez, relied on his international contingent, fielding more Brazilians (3) than Bulgarians (2) in the starting lineup.

  The home team kept the game even in the spacious but lively Vasil Levski National Stadium before halftime and fired the first warning shot through Armstrong Oko-Flex, but new ÖFB national team goalie Christian Zawieschitzky was there to make the save on the rebound (19th minute). Salzburg had its first chance through Yorbe Vertessen (22'), before Tabakovic found his first big opportunity. The Bosnian striker got on the end of a misplaced back pass by the Bulgarians, but Svetoslav Vuzov made a strong save (23').

Goal-scoring machine Tabakovic
Shortly before halftime, however, Bulgaria’s national team goalkeeper was beaten: The creative Bartosz Mazourek found Dominik Schmid on the left wing, whose wayward cross bounced off Levski captain Kristian Dimitrov right to Tabakovic’s feet. The 32-year-old scored his tenth goal from close range in his eleventh competitive match for Salzburg. In five European Cup matches for the Bulls, Tabakovic has scored six times. Levski conceded only their second goal in their tenth home game of the season.

Tabakovic scored the decisive goal.(Bild: AFP/NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV)

  After the break, Salzburg nearly capitalized on a misplaced pass by Wuzow, but Kitano and Edmund Baidoo were unable to get the ball past the goalkeeper (49'). Wuzow saved a shot by Vertessen (52') as well as a free kick by Schmid (81'). At the other end, Zawieschitzky got there just in time to beat Reinaldo to the ball (62'). Lewski picked up the pace slightly midway through the second half, but failed to get a shot on goal and never really posed a serious threat.

Röhl Surpasses Rose and Marsch
The Salzburg team thus secured their fourth win in their fifth European Cup match of the season. Last year, they had lost all four away games in the Europa League group stage and missed promotion, finishing 31st out of 36 teams with six points. Back then, they didn’t earn their first points until their fourth game (a 2-0 win over Go Ahead Eagles).

With 13 unbeaten games to start his Salzburg era, Röhl has surpassed Marco Rose (2017) and Jesse Marsch (2019), who each had 12. The record holder is Matthias Jaissle, who remained undefeated in his first 21 matches in charge in 2021. If Röhl wants to reach that mark, his team will have to, among other things, come through their next Europa League match on October 15 (6:45 p.m.) at home against AC Milan without a loss.