Gone are the glory days Salzburg in the Champions League. The Austrian runner-up experienced their third disappointing evening in the premier class in a row. The 0:3 in Prague and the 0:4 against Brest were followed by a sobering 0:2 at home against Dinamo Zagreb. On top of that, they lost a goalie Alexander Schlager with a red card. The chances of promotion are finally only theoretical, especially since the opponents are not getting any easier: Feyenoord, Leverkusen, PSG, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid.
Coach saw this Pepijn Lijnders the first half still balanced. “We had some moments where we pushed them back. We then had problems with the crosses, became too passive and very defensive. That’s exactly how the first goal happened. “With ten men it was difficult after that.”The boys know that we are in the competition with zero points. It is clear that we have to do better and it is also clear what we have to improve. You have to keep your head up. The good thing is that we can play again in three days and show how good we really are.”
Midfield engine Mads Bidstrup knows: “We are currently having a rough time. Not everything is going our way. We currently have to work harder than normal. We came out a little slow in the second half and then couldn’t find a way back. We are having a difficult time.”
Captain sees it similarly Amir Dedic: “It’s a little hard to find the words at the moment. It feels heavy at the moment. What else can we do but hold our heads up and see that things get better? The 1-0 came out of nowhere, then the red card and then it’s difficult. Then it was 2-0 and the game was over.”
Zagreb-Trainer Nenad Bjelica spoke of a “deserved victory. Salzburg is a very good team, but they lost against a better team today.”