Salzburg bulldoze Bayern in opening day thriller

Red Bull Salzburg completed an impressive comeback against German heavyweights FC Bayern Munich in the second game of Al Kass 2017. A calm finish and an impressive set-piece secured the Austrian side a vital win, with their high intensity, attacking football proving too much for Bayern to withstand.Both sides started strongly, displaying confidence on the ball and an ability to create opportunities. An impressive defensive display from Munich saw them comfortably soak up Salzburg pressure from early on, their deep defensive line allowing them to win the ball back without too much trouble whenever Red Bull threatened. The first clear chance came in the 13th minute, when Salzburg’s Dario Kolobaric found himself goal side of defender Alexander Lungwitz. Although the striker was able to outmuscle the full back, he took one too many touches and the keeper snatched the ball from under his feet.Red Bull continued to dominate, and the Bayern defence was called into action once again when the ball was cut into the area following some silky footwork from Dominik Szoboszlai. The Germans regained their shape quickly, and managed to defuse the situation and keep the scores level. Red Bull were hungry for an opener, and pressed high up the pitch. However, their plan backfired when a 24th minute counterattack saw Franck Evina latch on to a searching ball from deep. The keeper came off his line to close the gap, but it wasn’t enough to deter the forward, who produced a cheeky chip to give Bayern the lead. Despite going 1-0 down, Salzburg continued to dominate possession. Purposeful passing and sharp movement saw them break through the midfield at almost every attempt, only to have the ball stolen by Bayern’s composed centre-back partnership. However, the constant pressure saw the German side begin to crack, and towards the end of the first half Red Bull exploited acres of space on the right flank. With an initial cross blocked, the rebound fell to midfielder Nikola Stosic, who coolly stroked the ball into the bottom corner to make the score 1-1. The second half started slowly, as both teams adopted a more patient approach, with Salzburg creating fewer chances as Bayern looked to regain their lead. The match became increasingly physical as tiredness crept in and tempers flared, and in the 64th minute Vesel Demaku was fouled on the edge of the Bayern box. A free kick in a dangerous area provided the perfect opportunity for Salzburg to complete their comeback. A training ground set piece saw the side assume formation as Demaku stepped up and fired the ball low towards a teammate, only to see him move aside just in time to watch it roll into the bottom corner. Having lost their lead, Bayern needed fresh legs. Several substitutions and a change in formation saw them shift into a high tempo, offensive set up and, without warning, the Red Bulls found themselves on the back foot, swatting away wave after wave of German attacks. Oliver Batista Meier and Elias Kratzer each saw several efforts come close, but none could find the back of the net and the search for the elusive equaliser continued.It almost arrived in the final minute, when Bayern’s Marin Pudic found himself one on one with Salzburg stopper Daniel Antosch. The crowd held their breath as the German hammered a left-footed shot low to the keeper’s right, only for Red Bull’s number 1 to produce an incredible acrobatic save and secure a close-fought victory.Eintracht Frankfurt claimed a narrow victory over Esperance De Tunis in Day One’s final match, with the Germans withstanding late pressure to prevail by two goals to one.In the 72nd minute, Cem Barlik scored the first goal of the match for Frankfurt, heading in a teasing cross by midfielder William Kabuya.Mischa Hauser doubled the Germans’ advantage, his long-range effort taking a cruel deflection to bamboozle the unfortunate Esperance keeper Fares Jbali.The Tunisians got on the board in the last minute when Mohamed Ammar fired home from close range following a goalmouth scramble.