Red Bull Salzburg moved into third place in the Austrian Bundesliga with a 4:1 victory over Austria Wien at the Red Bull Arena on Saturday. The hosts controlled the tempo from the opening exchanges, while the visitors struggled to find rhythm against a side that had already won three of their four league matches. Salzburg's performance at home suggested they would be among the title contenders this season.
Lee Kang-Hee gave Austria Wien hope when he turned the ball into his own net in the thirteenth minute, but H. Tabakovic restored parity just six minutes later. B. Mazurek put Salzburg ahead in the thirty-first minute, and by then the visitors were already chasing the game. M. Fischer added a fourth goal shortly after the break, before Y. Vertessen rounded off the scoring in the fifty-fifth minute. Three substitutions came in quick succession for Salzburg at half-time, and the changes lifted the tempo further.
Salzburg registered 173 attacks compared to Austria Wien's 69, and the possession split of 70 to 30 tells part of the story. The hosts created four big chances while the visitors managed only one, yet both sides finished with similar numbers of shots on target. Salzburg's 426 passes into the opposition half demonstrated their willingness to push forward, whereas Austria Wien's 131 passes in the same area showed they were content to sit deep. Things came to a head when Salzburg stretched the back line in the second half, and the visitors could not contain the pressure.
Domink Schmid picked up a yellow card in the thirty-ninth minute, while Matteo Schablas went off the board after ninety-three minutes. Salzburg made six changes throughout the match, including bringing on Kevin Boma in the eightieth minute, while Austria Wien responded with four substitutions of their own. The visitors' goalkeeper made two saves, as did the Salzburg keeper, but the difference lay in the volume of chances created rather than the quality of the finishes.
The result leaves Salzburg on ten points from four games, sitting one place above the mid-table pack. Austria Wien remain in twelfth with three points and three defeats, a run that ended with a goalless draw against Braga last week. Salzburg had won 3:0 against Mjellby on their most recent outing, and this performance suggests they can raise the tempo when they need to. The gap between the two sides in the standings now looks wider than the points suggest.
