Austria Salzburg 4, First Vienna 1
Austria Salzburg took three points from First Vienna in the Second League on Saturday, winning 4-1 at the Red Bull Arena. The hosts had come into the match sitting seventh with nine points from five games, while First Vienna occupied third place on ten. Both sides had started the season with similar trajectories — Salzburg unbeaten in their last three before this result, Vienna with two wins and a draw in their previous five outings.
The opening goal came at the four-minute mark when B. Zimmermann found the net, and here's the thing — Salzburg never really looked like losing after that. First Vienna responded at forty-one minutes through F. Rieder, who had been on the pitch for just forty-six minutes before being replaced by M. Winter. D. Kahrimanovic scored at forty-six to make it 2-1, and C. Gebauer added a third at fifty-one before C. Huetz closed the scoring at sixty-two.
There were twelve yellow cards between the two sides, with Salzburg collecting three and First Vienna four. The bookings came at irregular intervals, starting with Zimmermann at ten minutes and Nagele at thirty, then spreading through the second half with Stratznig and Hofer both cautioned before the final whistle.
Salzburg dominated possession at fifty-three percent and registered one hundred and six attacks compared to First Vienna's ninety. Both teams landed five shots on target, though Salzburg's accuracy was forty-five percent against fifty for the visitors. The hosts earned seven corners while First Vienna managed five, and there were eleven fouls for Salzburg against eighteen for the away side.
The result leaves Salzburg on twelve points in seventh place, while First Vienna's ten points keep them third. Vienna had looked solid in their previous results — a 4-0 win over Sturm Graz II and a 2-1 victory against Mattersburg — but this performance showed they still have work to do. Salzburg moved closer to the top half with a win that felt earned rather than fortunate.
By then, the match had settled into something predictable. Salzburg controlled the tempo after the opening exchanges, and First Vienna's defensive structure never quite held together. The substitutions at half-time and throughout did not shift the balance — they merely confirmed what the scoreline already suggested.
What matters now is how both teams respond. Salzburg will look to build momentum, First Vienna will need to find consistency. The table says one thing, but the games tell another story.