Salzburg made it to the cup final by penalty shoot-out
Wolfsberger AC demands everything from Red Bull Salzburg in the semi-finals of the ÖFB Cup, but in the end the Mozart city-dwellers are lucky enough to reach the final for the ninth time in a row.
Intense cup duel in Lavanttal.
FC Red Bull Salzburg via Getty Images
Salzburg kept the chance of winning the fourth title in the ÖFB Cup in a row. The doubles winner of the past three years fought their way into the final with a 5-4 win on penalties at Wolfsberger AC. It was 1-1 after 90 and 120 minutes. In the final on May 1st (5 p.m.) in Klagenfurt’s Wörthersee Stadium, the superior Bundesliga leaders SV Ried are waiting. Since 2012, Salzburg has only failed to win the title in 2013 (Pasching) and 2018 (Sturm Graz).
After an early goal by Taferner (2nd) in front of 3,551 spectators in the Lavanttal Arena, the Carinthians could dream of reaching the first final. Joker Sesko (77th) erased the largely disappointing “bulls” in extra time, in which the only “highlight” Sesko saw the red card in the 117th minute. Wernitznig was the only player to miss in the penalty shoot-out, Köhn cleared the ball over the bar. Salzburg’s final opponent Ried is represented in the final for the fourth time, in 1998 and 2011 they won their previous two titles, in 2012 Salzburg were too strong.
The Wolfsbergers, with whom Scherzer made his comeback in defense after a long injury break, started like a shot. Liendl did not shoot from a good shooting position, but served Taferner with a dream hole pass, which sank the ball into the goal from six meters after 1:50 minutes. Salzburg seemed completely insecure, didn’t calm down the game and were lucky not to get higher. Köhn caught a ball, took steps into the goal, but kept the ball in front. Without goal-line technology, there was no telling if the faux leather was finally behind the line (7′). Two minutes later, Vizinger missed an overhead kick.
The WAC had a series of corner kicks against the chances in the initial phase and even with an aggressive appearance they didn’t let the guests come into play at all. It had been a long time since the “Bulls” were so harmless, and there wasn’t a top chance in the first half. In addition, top striker Adeyemi was eliminated early with a muscle injury in his right rear thigh, which is why Noah Okafor was substituted earlier than planned from the 19th minute.
Substitution Sesko gets Salzburg going
After the restart, the Wolfsbergers were careful to manage the lead. Salzburg was forced to do more for the game, but had an unusual number of problems and initially few ideas. Only when Kjaergaard and especially Sesko were brought in in the 63rd minute did the characteristics of the game change. Suddenly, coach Matthias Jaissle’s team was also dangerous in the end. Sesko passed the ball over from a difficult angle after an Ulmer cross (63′) and rolled the ball well past the far corner (69′). Chance number three follows to success. Kristensen guided a wide Seiwald pass with his head into the middle, where Sesko completed it confidently after a turn.
As a result, Sich achieved an open finish, but no more goals were scored, not even in extra time, in which a deflected Aaronson shot (98th) and a Peretz shot (109th) were dangerous. Salzburg ended the game with ten men, as Sesko Wolfsberg’s Peretz high-footed a shot in the back and was ruled out by Markus Hameter. In the penalty shootout, the Salzburg shooters converted bombproof, while nerves play a role in the WAC. Wernitznig forgave, Baumgartner and Liendl were also lucky.
The WAC also lost its third cup semi-final (after 2015 and 2021). That should have actually taken place on March 2nd, but had been postponed because of the Corona misery in Salzburg. On Sunday, the two teams meet again in Wolfsberg in the league.