Salzburg's System Makes "Opponents Tired in the End"

Twelve minutes were enough for Red Bull Salzburg to secure victory in the seventh round of the ADMIRAL Bundesliga!

Against Sturm Graz, the "Bulls" struggled, especially in the first half. Ultimately, however, they were able to celebrate a late 3-0 victory and secure the next three points (to the match report >>>).

Thus, Danny Röhl's team also ended their negative streak of six games without a win against the "Blackies".

The recently injured central defender Valentin Zabransky was back in the starting eleven. After the game, he spoke of a tough duel: "I believe today, especially in the first half, it wasn't a perfect game from us. Sturm pressed well. In the second half, you could see that we've played games like this often before, that we're experienced, and that we score goals up front and keep a clean sheet at the back," he explained.

After a good start by the visitors, the home team had a short dominant phase after about 20 minutes but had to concede another good opportunity from Kayombo (38') and Koller (43') just before halftime.

After these chances weren't utilized, it was 0-0 at halftime. "We lacked a bit of decisiveness in the first half - both with and without the ball," the coach critically analyzed.

Substitutions Led to Success

Already in the 52nd minute, Röhl made a triple substitution that proved to be the right option. Kitano brought momentum, and Camara and Vertessen also brought ideas and danger.

After the Salzburg-based team had been in international action on Thursday, the past few days had been intense. Sturm Graz, in contrast, had an extra day of regeneration and no travel. However, the coach doesn't want to use this as an excuse for the initial problems.

"We want exactly these kinds of games. We have a large, deep squad. They were simply more aggressive, they were sharp in their actions, did the basics well, and then outfought us a bit in the duels," he described.

In the 66th minute, Tohumcu replaced Barry. Just six minutes later, Veratschnig scored the first goal of the evening. It was already his second in the league. The coach expressed satisfaction, especially with his runs into space and good defending.

Yellow-Red Card Further Weakens Sturm

From the 76th minute, Sturm also had to play with ten men after Heil was sent off. Salzburg seized the opportunity and dictated the tempo thereafter.

This was followed by the 2-0 goal, Boma's first Bundesliga goal, and the final score of 3-0 through Camara, who also added his name to the scoresheet for the first time.

"It shows the depth of the squad, that you can provide an impetus with a triple substitution, and then we did an excellent job," said the head coach. Boma's development, in particular, has been excellent, and Camara also made an impact quickly on Sunday.

"Opponents Get Tired Towards the End"

Overall, against an aggressive and intense opponent, the substitutions were utilized, bringing energy, and Röhl was also satisfied with the defense of set pieces after difficulties in recent games, especially after knowing about the opponents' strengths.

Ultimately, they won another "difficult game." "With the 3-0 against Sturm and 5-1 against Rapid, we've made two strong statements."

Zabransky also sees his team's playing style as crucial for the late victory. "The longer the game goes on, the more the opponent wears down against us. That's due to our system, how we play, how we press, the opponents get tired towards the end," he explained. He praised both the offense and the defense, which once again kept a clean sheet.

Important Points for the Table

In the table, Salzburg is one point behind Rapid and one point ahead of LASK. Sturm is already six points behind. However, one should not rest on the good start to the season, as Röhl warns: "In the league, you also have to win the smaller games more often, and we had two where we dropped points."

For Veratschnig and Zawieschitzky, among others, it's now off to the national team, but work is also on the agenda for their teammates. After a regeneration period, training will continue. Röhl has already compiled a list of essential points.

After the international break, the "Bulls" will face GAK on October 10th.