The group phase of the soccer premier class had brought Salzburg roaring nights, but in the intermediate round of the Europa League the sobering end came for “Bullen” on Thursday. Against the table third in Serie A, the AS Roma of star coach Jose Mourinho, the Salzburgers, who were overwhelmed at times, lost the 1-0 from the first leg and thus the round of 16 ticket. The much-vaunted and often-shown courage was sorely missed in the 2-0 defeat.
The guests in the Stadio Olimpico, which was sold out with 62,593 spectators, almost completely missed the first half. While Argentinian world champion Paulo Dybala, who got fit in time after a muscle injury, whirled for the Romans, who were much more offensive than in the first leg, and Leonardo Spinazzola provided two assists on the flank with his speed, Salzburg was no longer able to relieve the pressure after a halfway open initial phase care for. The constant pressure from Italy bore fruit. Andrea Belotti, who stepped in for Tammy Abraham, who had an eye injury, scored (33′), as did Dybala (40′).
“We failed to bring the courage and self-image – against and with the ball – onto the pitch. If you have to grab your own nose, it’s all the more painful,” said coach Matthias Jaissle and speculated: “Maybe we were She’s a tad impressed by the backdrop.” Striker Junior Adamu didn’t want to say it like that, but made one thing clear: “We weren’t that aggressive. We were scared, it wasn’t our game. Normally we can do a lot better.”
Salzburg still found offensive moments, which of course all remained unused. Like what was probably the best chance soon after the start, when Maurits Kjaergaard unsuccessfully tried a scissor shot in the penalty area instead of taking the easier route. “Some of the space was there to finish off good situations. We were too discouraged and gave the balls away too quickly,” said Jaissle. The 37-year-old captain Andreas Ulmer, one of the most conspicuous figures that evening, mourned these wasted moments. “In the first leg we made a lot out of little, that would have been good today, too,” said the full-back. Midfielder Nicolas Seiwald simply lacked the “energy to stay on the ball after winning the ball”.
The failures of key players also weighed heavily. Fernando, who had just returned from a month-long injury, was absent with a thigh injury, as was the suspended centre-back Strahinja Pavlovic. Luka Sucic, who was replaced by Kjaergaard in the last few days until the break due to a gastrointestinal illness, was not fully fit. “Of course we missed Pavlo and Fernando. Luka came in at half-time anyway and brought a breath of fresh air. As a team we didn’t manage to compensate,” admitted Seiwald.
Jaissle didn’t want to argue with that. “We’re such a young team, it’s not always easy to put up with,” said the 34-year-old. “We are taking this path extremely courageously and extremely consistently.” The learning curve must continue to show “steep upwards”, that is the most important thing, explained Jaissle. “I hope they learn from it, that they can enjoy evenings like this and that it gives them a push and doesn’t inhibit them.”
Overall, the European season has gone well, Jaissle said after finishing third in a CL group featuring Chelsea, AC Milan and Dinamo Zagreb. “I only had encouraging words for the boys. They made a good showing at European level,” said Jaissle and once again acknowledged Salzburg’s “Art Nouveau”: “I was aware when I started the job that I was going down this path go with it full of conviction.”
Either way, Jaissle is now also in demand as a psychologist. The EL-Aus was sobering in its clarity, in the domestic cup quarterfinals at the beginning of February they fell victim to the up-and-coming competitor Sturm Graz. Of course, Ulmer didn’t want to be badmouthed the season. “Basically, it’s a good, decent season. We were in the Champions League and then qualified for the Europa League. In the cup it was a close defeat against a very good storm team,” said the Linzer.
In the league, the lead over the first pursuer Sturm is six points four laps before the end of the regular season, the series champion would currently have at least three points ahead of the champion group after the points were halved. And this race is now the sole focus. “We’re ahead in the championship and now we really want to win the title,” said Ulmer. In view of the forthcoming duel with bottom rider Ried on Sunday, Jaissle was hoping for a quick reappraisal of the Roman episode: “We have to put our crowns on because things will continue again on Sunday.”