Just when you think the emotions at Austria Salzburg can’t run any higher, and just when you think we can’t put any more vitriol into a greeting for the guests; think again! At Austria Salzburg over half of the teams in the division are sworn enemies. Last year, all the Tyrolean clubs went daft and started playing silly games... we don’t want to play, yes we do, well we do, but in another stadium, which will cost too much money, so the game is on, off, on,... Union Innsbruck proved to be the daftest of all, but ultimately all the Tyrolean teams are now subject to our bile, be it Wattens, Union Innsbruck, Wacker Innsbruck, Kufstein or Hall. Then there’s Red Bull Juniors, who purely by existing are a red rag to a bull. Add to them Anif, who are cooperating with Red Bull and are, thus, to be considered with the greatest deal of suspicion. On top of that, we still have a bone to pick with Saalfelden who showed up our weaknesses by beating us 2-0 at their place two years ago.
So with all this death, retribution and Old Testament wrath of ages in the air it’s not easy to concentrate on the games. After just two minutes against Union Innsbruck we were caught not concentrating as two Innsbruck players got in behind the defence and put Martin Eisl, our keeper, in an impossible position. A tap-in for Benjamin Schaber and it was Austria 0 – Union 1.
Nevermind. Somehow we never had the feeling Union could hold onto the lead for 88 minutes. After a further 3 minutes Drax said the game would finish 4-1. Seemed like a reasonable thing to wish for, but Drax is not a betting person as one of his axioms is – as soon as you wish for something, you can guarantee you won’t get it. So for the next 85 minutes he kept saying, ‘it’s going to finish 4:1’, because that’s one of his double bluffs! If you say what you think out loud – it won’t happen. But if everybody knows you believe it won’t happen, then that cancels out the hex on the desired score. Bloody clever, that! So after lots of our favourite huffing and puffing, tons of possession but not much to show for it, Vujic finally got the season and Drax’s bet back on track after 17 minutes. 1-1.
Despite the fact that Union Innsbruck’s management did their utmost to embarrass their players last season, they are not such a bad team, and put together a number of clever combinations. I’ve seen far worse teams, but being good is not enough in Fortress Maxglan. However, it’s hard to wish plague and pestilence on the club without taking it out on the team. After 34 minutes it was Vujic again who made it 2-1 and Drax’s wet dream bet was well and truly on course. The nature of betting is speculation. Drax does not speculate, so although he SAID the game would finish 4:1, he did not BET it would finish 4:1, because – in his book – there is no better way of fucking up a good bet, than by putting money on it. We don’t want to risk WINNING money now, do we!
Half time: Austria Salzburg 2 – Union Innsbruck 1
As is so often the case, the second half began where the first half ended – on 45 minutes. We continued to put on the pressure and allowed Innsbruck a couple of chances on the counter attack, then, in the space of eight minutes we made three changes: Märzendorfer came on for Pavlovic, Federer for Kletzl, and most interestingly Patrick Mayer for Nico Mayer. I say interesting, because it’s another example of how football politics can effect memories and bend histories. Check out this link:
http://www.fussballoesterreich.at/netzwerk/spieldetails/379402779304830775_100071-746147923856466720.htm?show=bericht&awVerband=T_
Then click on Patrick Mayer’s player profile and click on the transfers section:
How ridiculous is it when Salzburg’s own football association claims that someone who was registered with Austria Salzburg in 1992 and 2002 – was a Red Bull Salzburg player? When everybody knows Red Bull only bought and rebranded Austria Salzburg in 2005...! That is a sad case of simply ignoring the facts or a sadder case of not wanting to admit to the facts. Sorry SFV, you can’t allow bullshit errors like this on your website! You know the truth.
By the way, I used to have a Peugeot 307 Break. The successor model was the 308. Does that mean if I want to sell a 307 I can call it a 308? Mikko was born in Hong Kong; does that now mean he has to tell people he was born in China? Rhodesia was renamed Zimbabwe on becoming independent in 1979/1980. Does that mean Rhodesia never existed? Red Bull has no history in football, so there#s absolutely no need to create one for them.
So; enough ranting. I think the substitutions were all leg-saving exercises. ‘Rotation’ as it’s known today. Still, a second yellow leading to a sending off for Rene Rief on 77 minutes certainly helped our cause. On 82 minutes Marko Vujic rounded off his hat trick to make it 3-1 and Drax had that ‘I told you so’ look in his eyes. After just three more minutes he was able to say it, as Flo Harry Hirsch put us 4-1 up. Like I say, if Drax’d put money on the deal you could guarantee Union would have made it 4-2 or we would have made it 5-1, or there would have been a biblical downpour or a crowd invasion followed by an abandonment, but he didn’t put money on hit, so the gods allowed him to be right. Drax got his pyrrhic victory, Union Innsbruck (the managers) got the thrashing they deserved, and I have managed to deliver this report within 49 hours of the game finishing.
See You in St Johann!
Roge
SV Austria Salzburg - Union Innsbruck 4:1 (2:1)
Austria Salzburg played with:
Eisl; Kircher, Reifeltshammer, Schmidt, Hirsch; Urbanek, Borozni, Kletzl (65. Federer), N. Mayer (61. P. Mayer), Pavlovic (57. Märzendorfer); Vujic
Goals:
0-1: Schaber (2.)
1-1: Vujic (17.)
2-1: Vujic (34.) (Assist: Hirsch)
3-1: Vujic (82.) (Assist: Märzendorfer)
4-1: Hirsch (85.)
Shots total: Austria 21 / Union 10
Shots on target: Austria 9 / Union 3
Shots blocked: Austria 2 / Union 1
Corners: Austria 6 / Union 3
Fouls: Austria 19 / Union 15
Offsides: Austria 7 / Union 6
Yellow cards:
Austria: 1 (Märzendorfer, 90./unsporting behaviour)
Union: 3 (Rief, 43./foul; Milenkovic, 47./unsporting behaviour; Stern, 52./foul)
Yellow/red:
Austria: 0
Union: 1 (Rief, 77./foul)
Salzburg-Maxglan, MyPhone-Austria-Stadion, 1010 spectators
Ref: Cindy Zeferino de Oliveira; Assistants: Voislav Zubcic, Peter Gruber
