Rapid also made amends for the 7-2 home debacle against the defending champions last June. However, the green-whites only managed one victory from the last 20 competitive duels with the people of Mozart. In the table, leader Salzburg is still two points ahead of the second placed Rapid team.
Their coach Dietmar Kühbauer had to do without Marcel Ritzmaier (ill), Taxiarchis Fountas (metacarpal bone fracture) and Filip Stojkovic (hand injury). Ercan Kara and Yusuf Demir initially sat on the bench. With the exception of Patson Daka (muscle injury), Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch did not have to complain about any notable loss on his 47th birthday and after the 2: 6 in the Champions League against Bayern did not rotate.
Attractive hit
Nevertheless, the people of Mozartstadt had slight problems in the initial phase. Rapid was compact on the defensive and put pinpricks in pressing situations. However, the hosts did not have any compelling chances. A shot by Knasmüllner was the safe prey of Salzburg goalie Cican Stankovic (11th), Kelvin Arase (19th) and Dejan Ljubicic (21st) clearly missed the target.
Salzburg became dangerous when the keeper Paul Gartler parried a shooting shot by Mergim Berisha (23rd). From this point on the champions dominated, the goal in the 29th minute was the result. After a long pass from Albert Vallci, Dominik Szoboszlai volleyed the ball into the middle, Koita scored with a direct shot. Six minutes later Berisha missed the chance to make it 2-0, Gartler and Maximilian Ullmann defused his shot with their combined forces.
At the beginning of the second half Rapid had to digest the next setback – captain Dejan Ljubicic sustained an ankle injury when he fouled Zlatko Junuzovic. After that, Salzburg let the ball and opponents run, a new goal seemed only a matter of time, but Koita (49th) and Andre Ramalho (52nd) failed to Gartler.
Open exchange of blows
After an hour Demir and Kara came onto the pitch and suddenly took Rapids offensive game to a new level. In the 62nd minute Kara shot past the short corner after a pass from Demir, and a few seconds later Stankovic tamed a Demir shot.
The game was open again, and Salzburg also remained dangerous, for example when substitute Masaya Okugawa had a chance that Gartler destroyed (74th). On the other side, Kara had a chance to equalize, with his shot after Srdan Grahovac’s preliminary work, Stankovic was on the spot with a foot defense (83).
Less than two minutes later, the deserved compensation fell. Kara served Knasmüllner, who overcame Stankovic with a lob. In the final phase, Salzburg staggered, and Enock Mwepu also stumbled a counter chance (92nd). It remained with a fair division of points.
Tipico Bundesliga, 7th round
Sunday:
Rapid – Salzburg 1:1 (0:1)
Allianz Stadium, no spectators, SR Drachta
Goal sequence:
0: 1 (29.) Try it
1: 1 (85th) Knasmüllner
Rapid: Gartler – Greiml (46th Sonnleitner), Hofmann, Barac – Schick, D. Ljubicic (50th Schuster), Grahovac, Ullmann – Arase (61st Demir), Kitagawa (61st Kara), Knasmüllner
Salzburg: Stankovic – Vallci (92. Kristensen), Ramalho, Wöber, Ulmer – Okafor (68. Okugawa), E. Mwepu, Junuzovic (68. Ashimeru), Szoboszlai – Berisha, Koita (74. Adeyemi)
Yellow cards: Hofmann, Greiml or Okafor, Ashimeru, Vallci
The best: Demir, Kara, Gartler or Szoboszlai, E. Mwepu, Junuzovic
