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The result was clear, as was the message. Not only thanks to Patson Daka, an unleashed triple packer, soccer series champion Red Bull Salzburg made a clear statement in the title fight Sunday with a 4: 2 in the league battle against the Rapid pursuers. The superiority over the alleged challenger was clear and could also be seen as a response to the 2-0 draw against Villarreal three days earlier. In any case, at the national level one continues to be the clear reference.
Salzburg are now six points ahead of their first rival Rapid, but given that they were four laps away, the beauty of the night for coach Jesse Marsch lay in a different circumstance. “More important than the table to me is just the feeling that we were able to act so dominant against the stronger opponents,” said Marsch, who rated sovereign performance even higher after the disappointment in the first leg of the round of 32 of the Europa League. “We needed this good reaction,” emphasized the American, whose team needed a real show of force on Thursday at Villarreal.
In any case, Sunday’s performance should give hope, even if the comparison is loose, as Marsch put it. Without Sekou Koita and Mohamed Camara, who were sanctioned for doping, without Maximlian Wöber, who was still ill, and with a personnel change shortly before kick-off, Brenden Aaronson came for the injured Noah Okafor: Salzburg could not be affected by this either . . And so Rapid, who had come with some hope, could only imagine himself lucky for a few seconds. Taxiarchis Fountas had scored the supposed 1-0 after a quick counterattack (28th), but a questionable offside decision prevented real cheers and cleared the way for the clear victory of the premises.
Because apart from about 20 minutes in the middle of the first half, Salzburg had the game completely under control, thanks to a lot of aggression and thanks to the excessive offensive power that overwhelmed Rapid. In addition to Daka, who made the decision on his own with his three goals of 1-0, 2-0 and 3-0 (30, 64, 70), Mergim Berisha acted as Daka’s four-time assistant and substitute. Karim Adeyemi (92.), Aaronson also noted. Daka took the lead from teammate Koita (14) on the goalscorer list with 16 goals this season.
“No contact with another club”
“It was a dominating night for us, an extremely important moment this season,” said Marsch, who vehemently opposed all the rumors on “Sky” that he could become the successor to his predecessor in Salzburg, Marco Rose, in Mönchengladbach in summer. “I have not heard from Gladbach. I have not had any contact with any other club. The door is closed. I worked here in Salzburg.”
And if Rapid coach Dietmar Kühbauer has it, his colleague doesn’t have to worry about being left empty-handed in the summer. The dim hopes of being able to “catch” the series champion this year are currently buried. “Ultimately, we have to accept the strength of Salzburg,” said Kühbauer somewhat disappointed, recalling the last matches, where only 1-1 in the first game of the season can be seen as a small sense of accomplishment. “We tried a lot against Salzburg, but in the end Salzburg was always better,” Kühbauer said.
In the most recent duel, “we did not achieve what we wanted to close the center, because they are incredibly dangerous and incredibly fast,” analyzed the Burgenlander. “We lost the balls too quickly. The team just didn’t have enough ideas and courage, and the strength of the match wasn’t that great either.”
Only Fountas’ supposed goal could have saved the game, according to Kühbauer. “In return, the goal is conceded, so it’s very, very difficult here.” The inclusion of Srdan Grahovac for Fountas at halftime also had no effect. “Even then, the team didn’t deliver what we set out to do.”
But he didn’t want to try too hard with his troops after the first loss in 2021. “I found that the team could play a good game here,” Kühbauer said, emphasizing: “We can do better.” However, Salzburg is just the league break. “They are of incredible quality, they spent eleven million on Okafor. I haven’t spent that in all my time since I’m with Rapid,” he said.
To topple Salzburg from the throne, it would take “a flow like Austria Wien back then (2012/13, note), but the gap has widened because Salzburg has done well for years,” says Kühbauer. “You have the best chances in 32 laps.” (apa)
