Red Bull Salzburg meet Olympique Marseille in the Europa League semi-finals. Having already beaten their French opponents in the group stage of the competition, Salzburg will target the Europa League final with confidence. The Austrians have already eliminated Real Sociedad, Borussia Dortmund and more recently, Lazio. They produced a famous comeback win against the Italians.
Salzburg Will Target the Europa League Final
A Steady Start Against Lazio
Luck often plays a part in any team’s tournament success. When they played Lazio on 12th April it was a factor in their amazing comeback victory. The opening forty-five minutes gave few indications of what was to follow. Red Bull failed to produce many chances. Instead, it was prolific goalscorer Ciro Immobile who should have given Lazio a first-half lead.
An Amazing Few Second-Half Minutes
Within ten minutes of the interval Immobile finally converted from a Luis Alberto through ball. It seemed the tie was over. However, the home side equalised straight away from a deflected Dabbur effort. We then witnessed a dramatic four minutes when Salzburg scored three quick goals to stun Lazio. Albanian ‘keeper Strakosha might have saved the first two efforts. Meanwhile, the third looked like a set move with a corner being headed on for Lainer to score at the far post. Red Bull were amazingly on course for the final four.
Notes for the Opposition
Semi-final opponents Marseille will be well aware of their opponents. Salzburg full-back Ulmer has a sweet left foot and is able to deliver telling crosses. Midfielder Xaver Schlager clearly has ability, he clipped the post against the Italians. And another youngster, Amadou Haidara, showed his long-range shooting prowess with a fine strike. Red Bull are a controversial club with a mix of nationalities that have come together in this UEL run. But they will be outsiders for most pundits. However, Salzburg will target the Europa League final with some talented players, a past element of luck and a sense of destiny.
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