Just minutes after the final whistle, the stadium at Stamford Bridge was deserted. The approximately 40,000 fans who fit into the venerable arena of Chelsea don’t like to see it not being their own team but the opponent making history. And RB Salzburg wrote a huge piece of Austrian football history with the 1-1 win in London against the 2021 Champions League winner.
That’s why the around 600 fans in the away sector and the Salzburg players were already among themselves when they celebrated this historic success together a few minutes after the final whistle. “Playing in front of a crowd like this and also scoring is a childhood dream come true,” enthused striker Noah Okafor, who made the sensation possible with his equalizer to make it 1-1 after 81 minutes. Salzburg have all the trumps in their hands to remain in the promotion race for the first two places.
Now Dinamo Zagreb is waiting twice in a row as an opponent, the first match will take place on October 5th at home. They are one point behind Zagreb and two behind leaders Milan. Chelsea are already under extreme pressure with just one point. Salzburg, on the other hand, is now dreaming of big things: “We can beat anyone at home, including Dinamo Zagreb. And that’s our goal,” said midfielder Nicolas Seiwald. “We can claim that we’ll beat them at home,” confirmed Andreas Ulmer from Upper Austria. The 36-year-old also delivered a sensational performance against Chelsea.
For Red Bull sports director Christoph Freund, the game was “right at the top of the list of highlight games”. In the English media, Freund is repeatedly associated as the new sports director at Chelsea. Freund did not really answer whether this was an attempt to stir up trouble in Salzburg or whether there were actually serious negotiations.
“We’ve been in constant contact with Chelsea, most recently about a possible transfer from Benjamin Sesko. We’ve always talked about football. But other than that, there’s not much more to it. Chelsea is a huge club in transition. What the next few weeks and Happened months, I can’t say exactly.”
English press reviews
- “The Blues’ shocking defense cost Graham Potter victory after Raheem Sterling’s goal. Chelsea’s new coach has never been in the Champions League before. He’ll have to adapt damn fast to Europe’s pinnacle if the 2021 Champions League winners are to avoid a sobering group stage exit.” – The Sun
- “No magic to be seen yet.” – Daily Star, in reference to Coach Graham Potter and Harry Potter sharing the same name
- “The 1-1 draw against Salzburg showed how much work the head coach still has to do.” – Mirror
- “Salzburg spoils Potter’s start with late low blow.” – The Telegraph
Source: Nachrichten
