Salzburg captain Andreas Ulmer, who at 36 is raising the average age of the home series champions, was in any case satisfied with the particularly convincing defensive performance: “The point is very important. We defended almost everything and fought until the last minute. We got the maximum out of it, we can be very satisfied with the draw.”
The game was exceptional not only because London and the country continue to be reeling from the death of Queen Elizabeth II, but also because Graham Potter made his debut as Chelsea manager, replacing the surprisingly sacked Thomas Tuchel . Whether Potter can conquer the hearts of “Blues” fans is still open.
ZIB night with Champions League
In an intense match, Red Bull Salzburg managed the Champions League surprise against Chelsea and drew 1-1. The Austrians are unbeaten after two matchdays.
Organization is key
In any case, after a truly silent minute of silence and the laying of flowers in memory of Queen Elizabeth, it was clear from the first minute that Potter wanted to breathe new life into the team after the 1-0 away defeat in Group E by Dinamo Zagreb. He mainly relied on the role of Raheem Sterling as left winger.
There, the English team striker caused danger again and again with his speed, but also missed a few chances. Because Salzburg defended consistently and this time played out their team spirit on the defensive.
This was also recognized by Chelsea manager Potter. “We have to accept it 1:1. It was a very well organized opponent.” The “Bulls” also had to do everything they could to keep players like Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Thiago Silva, Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in check keep.
Salzburg make Jaissle “extremely proud”
This also worked over long distances. Chelsea took a 1-0 lead at the beginning of the second half in the 48th minute thanks to a goal from Sterling, who was free. From one of the few “needle pricks”, as coach Matthias Jaissle called Salzburg’s attacks, Okafor managed the surprising equalizer in the 75th minute after preparatory work by Junior Adamu, who was voted “Player of the Game” by the BBC .
72 to 28 percent possession and 17 to four shots on goal spoke for the “Blues”, who combined their high individual class with a lot of commitment, speed and running work that evening, but they were still not convincing enough in front of the goal. That was of course also thanks to Salzburg. That’s why coach Jaissle was almost euphoric in his match summary: “I’m extremely proud, it’s something special to take a point here with the youngest team in the Champions League.”
Young players push their limits
The 34-year-old German was not always happy with the way his eleven were divided up in the coaching zone during the game, but after a powerful opening phase by Chelsea, Salzburg got into the game and this time completed the task with vehement defense. “It’s great to see young players living their dreams. They went all out in the game, really went into fight mode.”
At Salzburg, Nicolas Seiwald, Amar Dedic and later Dijon Kameri and Junior Adamu played and worked as if the Champions League were their everyday life. In the meantime, the “Bulls” have gotten used to games of this intensity and in front of large crowds, as goal scorer Okafor confirmed.
“It was a tough, intense game,” said the Swiss, who has scored in every game since August 20 with the exception of the cup. “We fought, in the end the point is deserved. Of course, scoring against such an opponent makes me extremely proud. Now we want to keep stepping on the gas and watch from game to game. We are happy to take the point with us.”
“Unpleasant” opponents as next tasks
After two draws, Salzburg are third in Group E behind Milan (4) and Zagreb (3) but ahead of Chelsea. The next opponent throws his shadow ahead. Even if Jaissle did not want to speculate about the further course of the group, he said about the upcoming task in the premier class, the home game against Zagreb on October 5 (6.45 p.m.): “Zagreb is a very unpleasant team.”
Captain Ulmer went a step further with his assessment: “Anything is possible in a group, the chances of a three-pointer are a bit higher against Zagreb. We can claim that we’ll beat them at home.” Before that, however, the Admiral Bundesliga match against Rapid awaits on Sunday (5:00 p.m.).
UEFA Champions League, Group E, second match day
Wednesday:
Chelsea – Salzburg 1:1 (0:0)
London, Stamford Bridge, 38,818 Zuschauer, SR Kruzliak (SVK)
Torfolge:
1:0 Sterling (48.)
1:1 Okafor (75.)
Chelsea: Kepa – James, Thiago Silva, Azpilicueta (81./Ziyech), Cucurella – Jorginho, Kovacic (81./Gallagher) – Mount, Havertz (66./Loftus-Cheek), Sterling (84./Pulisic) – Aubameyang (66 ./Broja)
Salzburg: Köhn – Dedic, Pavlovic, Bernardo, Ulmer – Capaldo, Seiwald, Sucic (70./Kameri), Kjaergaard (46./Gourna-Douath) – Sesko (70./Adamu), Okafor (89./Koita)
Yellow cards: James or Adamu, Pavlovic, Ulmer, Capaldo
