Look back on an intensive evening against Pafos | OneFootball

Five takeaways from our UEFA Europa League qualifying clash

After sleeping on it, the joy over yesterday's win against Pafos FC remains immense! It was a success that brought us a significant step closer to the UEFA Europa League qualifying play-offs – and therefore all the reason to take a closer look.

# 1 | What weather break? Memories of our stormy Club World Cup success

After almost two hours of unscheduled interruption and the uncertainty of whether the match could even continue – we were not in an easy situation, either mentally or physically. Our young starting XI, with an average age of 22.5 years, significantly younger than our opponents' (28.3), handled the challenge with aplomb. For some, this may have brought back memories: just over a year ago, we faced a similar situation at the Club World Cup in the USA. A storm in Cincinnati also forced a long break in our opening match against Pachuca, though at least it was 'only' 90 minutes. We conceded an equaliser immediately after the restart, but in the end, our Red Bulls secured a famous win!

#2 | Solid at the back – new signings and academy youngsters shine

Just like in the ADMIRAL Bundesliga opener, our defence remained absolutely solid and kept a clean sheet for the second time in just a few days. Kevin Boma and his teammates consistently dealt with the opponents' long balls, which were particularly tricky on the wet pitch. When one did slip through, Christian Zawieschitzky demonstrated why we started the season with him as our number one goalkeeper! Pafos striker Lele had seemingly rounded the 19-year-old when the latter, in a split second, leapt and snatched the ball away from the Brazilian. Academy youngster Valentin Zabransky once again delivered a strong performance in the backline, and Nikolas Veratschnig, wearing the captain's armband, even set up the winning goal!

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#3 | Giving our all right to the end - again!

We were able to celebrate the decisive goal a full minute earlier than against TSV Hartberg, and once again it was one of our substitutes: Haris Tabakovic fired us to victory with his debut goal as a Red Bull. To celebrate, you'll receive his name and number free with every jersey purchase today, Friday, using the code TABAKOVIC9!

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While the match was certainly a nail-biter, it underscores a quality that's incredibly important throughout a season: our Red Bulls give their all until the very end and aren't satisfied until they win. That's how you end up getting such vital narrow wins!

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#4 | Setbacks amid the celebrations

Shortly after the joyous late goal, there was a scare. Enrique Aguilar fell after a foul by Ken Sema, who received a second yellow card and was sent off. Enrique suffered a broken forearm, will undergo surgery today, and will be out for several weeks. Edmund Baidoo, Soumaila Diabate, Gaoussou Diakite, and Damir Redzic are also carrying knocks after the Europa League qualifier. It's uncertain whether they will be available for selection against Wolfsberger AC this weekend. Danny Röhl stated in the post-match press conference: “We don’t want to complain now. We have a good medical department, and they will take care of the lads.”

#5 | The work is not over yet

Yesterday’s victory was important, mentally, but also, of course, with an eye on the UEFA five-year coefficiet. However, everything is still to play for next Thursday in Cyprus when we face a challenge in the Alphamega Stadium in Limassol, where temperatures are nearly 30 degrees Celsius. Pafos FC already proved in the second qualifying round against Hajduk Split that they can fight back after falling behind in a first leg. For us, it’s therefore crucial to remain fully focused for the full 90 minutes to secure our place in the UEFA Europa League qualifying play-offs.

Want to support us in person? Tickets for our away section are available online in our ticket shop. More information can be found here:

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