Strong second half secures point for ten-man Bulls in Linz

Red Bull Salzburg today collected a point in the 18th round of the T-Mobile Bundesliga in Linz. The 1-1 draw away at LASK allowed the champions to take a share of the spoils for the first time in four away games.

Trapattoni’s men put in dogged second half showing to clinch a tie despite being reduced to ten men (Steinhöfer being dismissed in the 78th minute.) The refusal to give in thanks to some sheer determination gave the traveling Bulls’ fans much to cheer amongst the 11,500 at the city of Linz stadium.

Red Bull Salzburg were forced into fielding a weakened line-up today. Missing along with the suspended Kovac were Dudic, Vonlanthen, Rakic (failed fitness test) and Jezek (flu). Miyamoto filled in at left back and Steinhöfer started on the right wing. The line-up: Ochs; Bodnar, Sekagya, Vargas, Miyamoto; Carboni, Aufhauser; Steinhöfer, Leitgeb; Ilic; Zickler.

Snowfall in Linz is making the ground slippery as the match kicks off.

Both teams do their best to defy the elements by thrusting forward.

16 minutes: LASK take the lead! A deep cross rockets into the penalty area and Vargas unwittingly nods the ball onto Vastic. The veteran finds Mayrleb in a clear offside position: he pokes home to thrust his side into a 1-0 lead with a goal that never should have counted!

22 minutes: The Bulls have their first good chance. Ilic supplies Zickler but the ball is seized away from the German by an LASK defender just before he can try his luck on goal.

26 minutes: A Miyamoto cross is (creatively) latched onto by Aufhauser with the back of the head. LASK keeper Cavlina remains untroubled.

The Bulls’ attacking efforts are notched up another gear, forcing LASK on the back foot. Despite some inventive counter-attacks from the hosts, both sides struggle to create any noteworthy chances.

After 40 minutes the statistics show that LASK have edged the possession count (by 54 to 46 per cent) but are trailing on the shot (6-5) and corner (3-1) tallies.

Two minutes of stoppage time are added before the first half is brought to a close by the referee.

Leitgeb cracks a direct free-kick on goal but Cavlina fists away to protect the hosts’ half-time advantage (47 mins).

The Bulls have a magnificent chance straight from the re-start! Zickler heads towards Ilic but LASK defender Hoheneder intercepts and inadvertently requires his own goalkeeper to pull of a stunning reflex save (46 mins).

49 minutes: LASK have a superb effort as Vastic finishes off a solo run with a fierce drive. Fortunately Ochs is able to save.

53 minutes: Red Bull Salzburg make their first substitution. Miyamoto departs for Marc Janko, who makes a welcome return to the Bundesliga for the first time in eight months!

Ten minutes are up in the second period. The match is gathering momentum with both teams pluckily going about their business and looking for a win.

The Bulls enter a period of dominance with quick attacks pegging the LASK backline under immense pressure. The champions’ supremacy is reflected in the statistics: they are now enjoying the greater share of possession with 52 per cent as of the 64th minute.

LASK aim to wrap up the match on the counter-attack. Vastic dinks a shot goalbound but it careers wide (71 mins).

75 minutes: Red Bull Salzburg equalise! A deep cross into the LASK area is met by Zickler, who locates Aufhauser, whose scuffed shot is bicycle kicked towards goal by Janko and eventually stroked over the line by Ilic!

78 minutes: Steinhöfer is dismissed for a second yellow card when he quite clearly won the ball. What a terrible decision!

80 minutes: Janko hammers one with his left foot but Cavlina is equal to it with a sturdy save.

83 minutes: Vargas upends Mayrleb in the penalty area and the referee awards a penalty to LASK! Vastic steps up and is denied by the brilliant Timo Ochs! 1-1 it remains!

Both teams look to force a decider but it stays 1-1. It’s a fair result by all accounts and a pleasing away point for Red Bull Salzburg thanks to a superb second half.

Giovanni Trapattoni: “Congratulations to my team as we did not want to lose today. That was very important. Their offside goal really shook us into life. The strong second half showing proves that we have the stamina and the mentality to be able to turn a match around. The penalty save will hopefully spell the end of our run of misfortune. It was difficult to play against the wind today and even more astounding was the fact that we created pressure with just ten men.”

Marc Janko: “After a long time on the sidelines I was of course delighted to come back today. I was trying to provide the team with a positive impulse. The result was an important first step forward - thanks to Timo Ochs for saving the penalty.”