NEWS
Salzburg squanders 2-0 lead in Celje
The Bulls ease off too much in the second half and concede the equalizer in the 90th minute.
FC Salzburg only manages a 2-2 draw away at NK Celje on UEFA Europa League matchday three.
The Bulls from the city of Mozart take a 1-0 lead as early as the ninth minute. Leandro Morgalla wins the ball in the opponent's half and sends his teammate Damir Redzic down the right wing. From there, Redzic passes to Kitano, who has plenty of time and space about 13 meters from goal. The Japanese player precisely places the ball into the far corner, giving Salzburg an early lead.
Redzic remains a constant threat and beats two defenders in the 23rd minute. In the middle, Haris Tabakovic is served the ball just a few meters from goal, but blasts it well over the crossbar.
Woodwork and the referee bring Salzburg luck.
On the other side, a counter-attack almost proves fatal for the Bulls. Blaz Kramer drives the ball forward solo; the Salzburg players, despite having three men, can neither stop him nor prevent the cross-pass to the completely unmarked Veton Tusha. Tusha takes aim and strikes his shot into the far corner, hitting the post; the woodwork denies the "Counts" from Celje their first goal of this Europa League season (27').
Salzburg also has some luck with a referee's decision: Kevin Boma indeed makes contact with Benjamin Verbic at the edge of the box before playing the ball, but the penalty whistle remains silent (40').
Wild start to the second half
At half-time, Salzburg coach Danny Röhl brings Bartosz Mazurek and Jesper Lindström into the game. Lindström needs less than 30 seconds to break into the box after a Redzic pass and smash the ball into the net for a 0-2 lead.
However, Celje is also much sharper after the break. Kramer brings the long ball under control, leaves Dominik Schmid standing, and smashes the ball into the net to pull one back, making it 1-2 (50').
A good fifteen minutes later, Salzburg again benefits from a referee's decision, as Boma is once more not penalized for a tough tackle in the box against Verbic (66'). During this phase, the "Counts" push for the equalizer, pinning Salzburg back in their own half. The Mozart city residents survive the hosts' period of pressure unscathed, also thanks to a strong save by goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky against Verbic's back-heel shot (68').
Only at the very end does Celje manage to equalize. The substitute Armandas Kucys is sent into the box on the right and, like Tusha before him, hits the post in the far corner. This time, however, the ball bounces into the net, and Celje equalizes in the 90th minute.
Salzburg is in 21st place with four points from three games, while Celje moves up to 29th in the standings with their first point.
