Salzburg's Verdict: "Result? Yes. Performance? Needs Improvement"

FC Salzburg heads into the Europa League playoff second leg with a win under their belts – yet both players and coach are far from satisfied with their first-leg performance.

Against Swedish surprise champions Mjällby AIF, an own goal by the hosts in stoppage time was enough for the 'Bulls' to take the lead in the first leg (for the match report >>>). Karim Konaté fired the ball sharply into the middle just before the end – Tom Pettersson bundled it into his own net in an attempt to clear.

"Of course, we're happy that we scored in the very last second," said captain Nikolas Veratschnig on "ServusTV". "But we can discuss the performance."

Coach Danny Röhl was also not entirely satisfied with his team's performance. His verdict was "divided". "Naturally, we're happy to take the win, even if it came late."

But, as he confirmed, echoing Veratschnig, the mood in the dressing room was critical. "I think that's how it should be after the game."

Strong Start, Weak Second Half

Initially, Salzburg dominated the away game, creating several good opportunities, but Mjällby goalkeeper Wallinder repeatedly thwarted them. "We had a good start, with some good chances. The final pass was missing, that's where we fell short today," Veratschnig stated.

For 20, 25, 30 minutes, they played excellently, Röhl said. "It was clear to see what we wanted then."

However, especially from the 60th minute onwards, the dominance of the first half dissolved into a 50/50 game. Even before that, after the break, the hosts had several chances, including a Petterson shot hitting the crossbar in the 62nd minute. Salzburg suddenly looked surprisingly shaky.

Many turnovers in the initial build-up phase invited the opponent to counter-attacks, Röhl explained. Mjällby executed their attacks relatively quickly; Salzburg wasn't good enough there, lost patience, and couldn't find the correct positioning.

"Allowing a counter-attack situation can happen – but not so many," the coach said. Goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky echoed this: "We invited the opponent too often; whenever we lost the ball, they very quickly had the chance to attack our goal."

Salzburg Scores Late Again

Veratschnig also stated that the performance displayed should not be the benchmark. While it was an even game, it was also a fortunate result.

"Nonetheless, it's not the first game we've decided late. That speaks volumes for the team," Röhl remarked. Salzburg also scored late against WAC (1-1), Paphos (1-0), and Hartberg (1-0). Zawieschitzky also felt the last-minute goal in Sweden "felt incredibly good." "A win is always great, even if it's only a small lead." 

Salzburg now has no games until the second leg next Thursday. "It's good that we finally have a week to prepare for a match, instead of always just two training days," Veratschnig emphasized.

And Zawieschitzky also said: "There's always something to improve – but we'll get that done with the training sessions we still have."

Then, in a week, it's about taking the final step, Röhl added. Therefore, the first leg must be clearly analyzed, because: "Result: yes. Performance: needs improvement."

Röhl made it clear: "We want more – and to achieve our big goals this year, more has to come."