Salzburg, December 9 (BNA): Noah Okafor scored the only goal in Salzburg’s 1-0 win over 10-man Sevilla at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday to advance to the Champions League playoffs for the first time. in their history.
Salzburg finished second in Group G with 10 points from its six matches, one point behind Lille, the billiards champion. Sevilla finished third and will play in the European League play-off round, Reuters reported.
The first half had little impact on the goal, but the match kicked off after the break as Salzburg received a second yellow card for Sevilla midfielder Joan Jordan in the 65th minute.
The match was played behind closed doors without fans due to the tighter COVID-19 restrictions in Austria, so the hosts were unable to celebrate their achievements with their fans.
“I will certainly never forget this match,” Salzburg captain Andreas Olmer told reporters. “What we achieved in the 90 minutes today is unbelievable.”
“Everyone was supporting everyone, and the players who came on as a substitute were also very important. This is a very big moment for Austrian football.”
For the two sides famous as attacking teams, it took 35 minutes of cautious football for the first shot on goal as Ivan Rakitic warmed the palm of Salzburg goalkeeper Philippe Cohen.
This was the only occasion that either goalkeeper was tested in the first half, although Sevilla defender Jules Conde headed in from a corner kick with the best chance of the first half.
Sevilla should have taken the lead minutes after the break when Mounir El Haddadi fired a free header six yards from the goal but saw it rebound off the crossbar.
It was a great chance that the visitors would regret their loss because Salzburg went ahead at the other end and scored a superb goal for the team.
They finally manage to make passes together and Karim Adeyemi runs into the space on the left. A low cross pass into the penalty area was passed by Swiss Okafor.
Sevilla’s night worsened in the 65th minute when Jordan secured a well-deserved second booking for Adémi’s quick dip and left them needing to find two 10-man goals.
And Salzburg managed to hold out comfortably until the end, as Rakitic managed only one shot in the first half, as Sevilla, who are second in the Spanish League, managed to score on goal.