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Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch made nine changes on Saturday compared to the Champions League game against Atlético de Madrid last Tuesday.
Only Dominik Szoboszlai and Zlatko Junuzovic found themselves back in the starting lineup, an opportunity for other players to recommend themselves.
The message should have been particularly well received by one player: Noah Okafor. With three goals, the 20-year-old Swiss became the undisputed winner of the match against WSG Tirol (match report >>>).
Since moving from FC Basel to Mozart City in late January 2020, “Bulls” fans have been expecting such a strong performance from the talented offensive player, but so far Okafor has failed to live up to the high expectations. that were deposited to him.
At € 11.2 million (according to the transfer market), the Swiss is the record purchase in the history of the Salzburg club, and Okafor has not been awarded more than one bench spot in major matches so far. If he ever had a chance to be the starting eleven, he really wasn’t recommending himself for higher tasks, at least not until now.
Okafor: “I am very confident in myself”
On Saturday, however, Okafor brought down WSG Tirol single-handed. In addition to his three goals, he also participated directly / indirectly in the other two goals of the “policemen”. Salzburg’s goal number four slipped away before Sekou Koita could dust off the far post. With the fifth goal, Koita’s penalty kick kicked off with a brilliant pass into the depths.
“I’m happy with my goals and the team’s performance. It was a bit difficult at first, but I think my three goals gave me confidence,” Okafor said on “Sky”, referring to his mixed starts in Salzburg. Before the game, he could recall five goals for RBS in 24 games, now he was able to increase that number by three in just one game.
“I have trained hard. The team is behind me. I gave full throttle, always giving my best in training. Today it worked and I am very happy for the three goals, but even more so for the three points,” said the Swiss. .
March on Okafor: “I need it now”
With his triple package, Okafor has of course also submitted a perfect application for a spot in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s Champions League coup against FC Bayern Munich. With Patson Daka’s injury in particular, a normally inviolable spot in the starting lineup is suddenly available, so Okafor could have overheated at the right time.
“Patson Daka is a very important player for us. It’s a shame he’s out now. You don’t know how long, but I think it will be a few weeks.” The 20-year-old doesn’t want to speculate about a place in the top eleven. “In the end I have to give my all in training and in the end the coach decides which team is on the field.”
Head coach Jesse Marsch definitely has Okafor on the roster for the starting eleven, but not just since his brilliant performance on Saturday. “He is always an option for the starting eleven. He can play in many different positions. He can play on the offensive flanks or in the front.”
“I was very happy that he scored three goals. I think that’s good for Noah. He also played very well last week and was also very good off the bench. We talked a lot with Noah about tactical things and in the end we said, now is the time. to show your skills and fight. It’s a happy feeling for Noah and for us right now. We definitely need it now, “Marsch said.
March: “Bavarian final exam”
Noah Okafor sees himself and his teammates well equipped for the duel with the reigning Champion of the Champions League. “We know that Bayern Munich is the best team in the world right now with what they showed last year. But we will play with courage, we believe in ourselves and we will play our game. So I think there is an opportunity.”
Jesse Marsch is also looking forward to the climax of the season against FC Bayern Munich. “It’s a shame that we have to play without fans. It’s terrible. It’s an incredibly big test, like a final exam for our team. There is anticipation, not fear.”
Salzburg also felt no fear against WSG Tirol on Saturday, but the performance of the bulls was not always sovereign, especially in the first half. “We weren’t that good at first. We were also surprised by Wattens, who played so well and put a lot of pressure on us. Usually they defended themselves more and more deeply against us.”
WSG head coach Thomas Silberberger also saw a very committed performance from his team for a good hour. “The 3-0 win was the decision. We broke a lot of dams. Then Red Bull put us on display, like at the fair. I say the performance was good until 3-0. The first half beat me dearly. The difference was the individual players.
Text as: © LAOLA1.at
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