Red Bull Salzburg deservedly open league campaign with a win

Red Bull Salzburg made a successful start to the league season as Huub Stevens´s team beat Austrian cup winners Austria Vienna 2-1 in their first match of the 2009/2010 tipp3-Bundesliga, powered by T-Mobile.

13,500 watched the Bulls storm to a dramatic comeback after trailing at half time with goals from two substitutes, Zickler (70) and Tchoyi (91) clinching the game for the champions.

Red Bull Salzburg made four changes to the team that disappointed against Bohemians in midweek. Ulmer and Jezek started on the left side instead of Opdam and Svento with Augustinussen and Ilic also starting. The line-up: Gustafsson; Schwegler, Dudic, Sekagya, Ulmer; Augustinussen, Leitgeb; Mahop, Ilic, Jezek; Janko.

Referee Drabek whistles to start the 2009/2010 season at the Red Bull Arena . . .

4 minutes: Salzburg have their first good chance as Ulmer turns the ball onto Janko who serves Mahop. He tries to play his strike partner Janko through on goal only for Dragovic to block.

9 minutes: Jezek hammers a free kick into the penalty area but Mahop is unable to get onto the end of it.

14 minutes: Austria have their first chance on goal with Acimovic´s free kick almost being converted by Dragovic, who is a fraction too late.

Jezek charges through on the left and crosses to Janko who heads well wide of the right post (15 mins).

With a quarter of an hour played the Bulls are enjoying a clear advantage in the possession count (58 per cent).

25 minutes: Salzburg have a superb chance! Jezek seizes control of the ball on the left and crosses to Janko who lunges and smashes the ball straight into the post!

In the same manner as against Bohemians on Wednesday the Red Bulls´ opponents grab the lead from nowhere - their first real attack of the match. Jun skilfully sells Dudic a dummy from a quickly taken free kick and passes to Junuzovic who places the ball out of Gustafsson´s reach in the right corner! 1-0 to the Viennese after 28 minutes!

30 minutes: Mahop plays to Janko who squanders a superb chance for an equaliser by smashing the ball over the bar from short range!

The Bulls do not allow the conceded goal to disrupt their rhythm and continue to head forwards searching for an equaliser.

37 minutes: Mahop pulls up, holding is thigh, in what looks like a fairly serious injury unfortunately. After some treatment on the touchline he must be replaced by Tchoyi (40 mins).

After an uneventful final few minutes of the first half, Austria Vienna enter the half time break with a one-goal lead. The statistics prove that the Bulls were the far better side with a 10-4 lead on the shot count, 51 per cent of challenges won and 58 per cent of possession controlled.

The match continues with Mahop now expected to be out for three to four weeks with a muscle tear.

The Bulls continue to control possession in the opening 15 minutes of the second period but Vienna stubbornly hold them at bay by closing them down and gifting them nothing.

56 minutes: Salzburg make a second substitution as Svento replaces Jezek.

60 minutes: Goal for Salzburg! Ilic to Tchoyi who passes to Janko who slams the ball into the net. The referee disallows the goal for a dubious offside call that continues Janko´s run of misfortune to start the season!

61 minutes: Stevens brings on a second striker with Zickler coming on for Ilic.

65 minutes: The Bulls increase the pressure which in turns allows Austria Vienna more room to launch counter attacks.

70 minutes: The equaliser finally comes! A Leitgeb free kick into the penalty area is cleared by Bak straight into the outstretched foot of Alex Zickler and into the net to make it 1-1!

The Bulls are now getting increasingly dominant, recording 60 per cent of possession.

Chances flow freely in the final ten minutes:

80 minutes: A Leitgeb free kick is headed by Augustinussen on goal and turned over the bar by Austria goalkeeper Almer.

82 minutes: Ortlechner brings Tchoyi down in the penalty area but the referee does not award a penalty to the obvious disgust of the Bulls . . .

85 minutes: A long Schwegler throw in is headed on by Zickler to Svento who just misses!

86 minutes: Schwegler´s swirling cross sails over Almer as he attempts to collect the ball, giving Janko the chance to head a winner - he hits the crossbar!

87 minutes: Tchoyi to Zickler who fails to control the ball when one-on-one with Almer.

88 minutes: Zickler bursts through to the penalty area and plays onto Leitgeb who smashes over.

89 minutes: Svento enters the penalty area and crashes to the ground. He gets shown a yellow card for diving.

Three minutes of stoppage time remain in the first match of the league season.

91 minutes: 2-1 to Red Bull Salzburg! A Svento corner is taken down by Tchoyi who takes the ball round Okotie and wonderfully sinks the ball into the away net!

93minutes: Tchoyi to Janko whose first touch lets him down.

That´s it! Red Bull Salzburg have turned their first match of the league season around to win 2-1!

The stats confirm that the Bulls deserved to win: 60 per cent possession, 55 per cent of challenges won and 22 shots delivered to their opponents´five (12-1) in the second half!

Huub Stevens: "We can breathe a sigh of relief. If there was ever a deserved win it was this one. We totally dominated today and had loads of chances and should have had a penalty too. I´m proud of my team and if we can take the same morale to Dublin on Wednesday we will go through."

Alex Zickler: "Compliments to the team. We fought bravely today and had loads of chances - as a result it´s even nicer that it all paid off in the end."