Wiener Austria was then the springboard for the Bosnian national hero into the national team and the wider football world. Accordingly, his celebration was subdued.
"I really had a great time in Vienna. That’s why it also has something to do with respect. It’s not appropriate to go wild now," Tabakovic said respectfully on "Sky" afterwards.
"Excellent" first half
Less respectful was how Salzburg subsequently dominated the visiting team and even extended their lead to 3-0 after a good half hour.
Even if not everything went perfectly until the half-time whistle, Röhl found: "The first 45 minutes were excellent."
At half-time, Tabakovic remained in the dressing room with a slight knock; however, his involvement in Wednesday's rescheduled match against Rapid should not be at risk.
What still needs to improve regarding the Europa League
After the change of ends, Austria again had the better start and this time also found the opponent's net.
Even though this goal was ultimately just a side note, “it annoys me greatly. Not just the goal itself, but also the timing. That gives the opponent hope,” Röhl shook his head.
Especially on the international stage, such brief moments of inattention must no longer happen: “Those are the moments we still need to eliminate. They can kill you internationally.”
At the same time, Röhl emphasized: “Nevertheless, I don’t want to look for faults today.”
Match-winner Vertessen: "Lacked self-confidence"
Yorbe ist manchmal zu selbstkritisch. Ich habe ihn in den letzten Spielen besser gesehen als er sich selbst.
After the brief shock, Salzburg immediately took control of the game again and created good chances, especially through the outstanding substitute Aboubacar Camara. The youngster from Burkina Faso eventually set up Vertessen for the 4-1.
Ultimately a rather secondary goal for the match outcome, but one that was extremely important for the Belgian personally.
"In the last few games, I’ve lacked a bit of self-confidence," the 25-year-old admitted afterwards.
Röhl elaborated: “Yorbe is sometimes too self-critical. I’ve seen him perform better in recent games than he sees himself. He works hard for the team in every match. Today, he was rewarded for the past few weeks, in which he has invested a lot.”
Three strikers, many goals
For Vertessen, who started the game on the left wing and finished it as a central striker, it was his third goal of the season.
Karim Konate, who could even be rested for 90 minutes due to the game's progression, already has four goals this season, and Tabakovic already has six.
"It's a lot of fun right now"
For defender Tim Drexler, this goal-scoring prowess of the strikers is the most important factor why things are going so much better this year than recently.
"At the start of the season, we let too many chances slip and made things exciting again. Now we're converting our opportunities. In the busy fixture schedule, it’s extremely important to close out games as early as possible to save energy for the next matches,” the German analyzed.
His compatriot Röhl summed it up: “No matter who plays, we score.”
Not least because of this circumstance, a happy "Bulls" coach noted: “It’s a lot of fun right now.”
