Salzburg's European dream is shattered: 2:3 defeat against Ferencvaros!

Salzburg's European dream is shattered: 2:3 defeat against Ferencvaros!

After a bitter performance in the UEFA Europa League, Red Bull Salzburg suffered another defeat on Thursday. Coach Thomas Letsch's team lost 2-3 against Ferencvaros from Budapest and is now tied for last place in the group. In front of 8,342 spectators in the Red Bull Arena, the disappointment over the players' discouraged performance was clearly noticeable, as kicker.de reported.

Salzburg started promisingly and took the lead in the 13th minute through Edmund Baidoo. After some nice preparatory work by Moussa Yeo, the ball found its way into the net. But the joy didn't last long, as Alexander Schlager saved a penalty from Barnabas Varga in the 22nd minute, which initially provided additional security. However, the team was unable to capitalize on the momentum and conceded three goals in just eight minutes in the second half.

A dramatic turning point

In the second half, Varga equalized in the 50th minute before Kristoffer Zachariassen and Bamidele Yusuf were able to increase the score to 3-1 for the Hungarians within two minutes. Although Yorbe Vertessen scored the next goal in the 72nd minute, Salzburg didn't have enough strength for a complete turnaround. The offensive player Kerim Alajbegovic spoke of an annoying situation, while Letsch criticized his players' defensive behavior and lack of overview. He emphasized that the team lacked courage and literally gave the game away, as sn.at emphasizes.

It was the third defeat this Europa League season, after Salzburg had already lost to Porto (0-1) and Lyon (0-2). The club is now under pressure to prove itself in the coming games. Salzburg is in second place in the Bundesliga, but the team recently only managed a 2-2 draw against Altach.

The way forward

If you look at the challenges ahead, there are exciting games on the program: a guest appearance at Wiener Austria, the cup round of 16 against WSG Tirol, a duel with Ried and another Europa League game against Go Ahead Eagles. Midfielder Kjaergaard remains optimistic and emphasizes the need to improve performance.

Overall, it can be said that Salzburg urgently needs to work on its form in order to return to international competition and the national league, coach Letsch encouraged his protégés: “We have to stand together now and learn from these setbacks.” Such challenges are the order of the day in the UEFA Europa League, the second highest European football competition in which many teams fight for glory and titles. History shows that even the greatest have setbacks, but can always fight their way back Wikipedia.