After the draw, Austrian journalists were convinced that Salzburg was stronger than Dynamo, so "only an accident" could prevent the Austrians from reaching the main stage of the Champions League. The first match confirmed their opinion that Salzburg should play in the most prestigious European tournament for clubs. The game with Dynamo was called tense and relatively even by the local media, and the victory was absolutely deserved.
Kronen Zeitung
"A ticket to the main round of the Champions League is within reach," the Kronen Zeitung journalist is confident that Salzburg will be able to get past Dynamo on aggregate and is already cautiously thinking about how the Austrian club will play against the giants of European football.
"In a tense and relatively even game, Nene Dorgeles put Salzburg ahead with his first shot on goal. Thanks to a penalty kick by Maurits Kjergor, the guests from Austria took a 2-0 lead in the 50th minute. Pep Leijnders' team, as in the matches with Twente, attacked the opponent from the first minutes, playing high, and initially had better possession of the ball. However, some careless mistakes helped Kyiv organize quick and dangerous counterattacks. In the 8th minute, veteran Andriy Yarmolenko found himself in a good position in the penalty area thanks to a pass from Shaparenko, but missed his chance. In the 25th minute, Salzburg's left back Alexa Terzic made a mistake and forced goalkeeper Janis Blasvih to perform a rescue operation. Then Samson Baidu blocked Vladyslav Vanat's shot from close range. It seemed that Kyiv would soon score a goal, but Salzburg unexpectedly took the lead. After that, the Austrian club controlled the situation on the field and created many chances.
In the second half, Salzburg almost immediately earned and converted a penalty kick - 2-0. Kyiv rushed to attack, but failed to score. The teams exchanged a number of dangerous chances, but the score remained the same - 2-0. This victory brought Salzburg closer to the main round of the Champions League, but the match in Austria will be no less difficult."
Salzburg 24
"Aluminum gates are a symbol of failure for Ukrainians," a journalist for Salzburg 24 notes Dynamo's good play and the many chances created by the Ukrainians, as well as the poor execution by Shovkovsky's team.
"Salzburg went into halftime with a slight 1-0 lead thanks to Nene's goal in the 29th minute. "The Bulls showed a mature and organized game, especially in defense, where Piotrowski and Baidoo shone. However, Dynamo Kyiv had some dangerous moments that arose from quick switching and clever passing. Salzburg's pressing has not yet been as effective as we would like, and it was difficult to create good chances in the attack. Overall, it was an even game with room for improvement for both teams.
After conceding the second goal, Dynamo Kyiv clearly tried to make the game interesting again. The Ukrainians put more and more pressure on Salzburg, especially through their best player, Andriy Yarmolenko. But both Yarmolenko and his teammates repeatedly failed because they did not have time to make decisions when under pressure from the defenders. The key scene took place in the 54th minute, when Piotrowski prevented a goal from being scored with a decisive tackle against Vanat.
As a result, Salzburg had several opportunities to finally "close" the game by scoring the third goal. First, Oscar Hlukh failed to beat Bushchan. A few minutes later, Nicolas Capaldo had a chance to make it 3-0, but his shot hit the back of the net.
The last interesting attack of the home team in the 83rd minute ended unsuccessfully: after a corner kick, Dynamo defender Popov won an aerial duel with Baida and sent the ball into the post with his head. This aluminum gate symbolized the evening for Kyiv, as they were plagued by a lack of chances, while Salzburg had the luck and efficiency to capitalize on them. After five minutes of stoppage time, Salzburg won a well-deserved 2-0 victory.
Thanks to such a comfortable starting position, Salzburg can confidently go into the return match, which will take place at the Red Bull home arena in just a week. Dynamo Kyiv, on the other hand, will have to improve significantly to break through Salzburg's defense in the return leg and keep their chances of reaching the Champions League alive."
Der Standard
"Invincible" - a journalist from Der Standard reminds readers that Salzburg has not lost a single match this season. Moreover, they failed to win only one game. And all this is thanks to the new coach who has changed Salzburg for the better.
"The chances that Red Bull Salzburg will play in the Champions League for the sixth time in a row this fall are extremely high after the first playoff match. The Austrian team, which took second place last season, had to go through a difficult path to the main stage. On Wednesday, Leinders' team scored a difficult but very important 2-0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv in Lublin, Poland. Now everything is in hand for the return leg next Tuesday in Salzburg.
This was already the 7th game for Pep Leinders at his new club. 6 matches were won, one match ended in a draw - with Twente away. And even there, Salzburg should have won. Obviously, the new coach has not only improved the quality of the team's play, but has also restored their confidence. This is what Salzburg lacked last season. To get to the main round of the Champions League, Landers and his team need to remain undefeated. And this seems to be a very realistic task for Salzburg.
Orest Petruskiv
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