Konate's treble

Red Bull Salzburg vs Hartberg LIVE from 5pm

Red Bull Salzburg had little trouble against Hartberg and won clearly with 5:1.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Red Bull Salzburg have secured a win in the penultimate round of the Bundesliga and can become soccer champions again this year. The "Bulls" clearly won 5:1 (3:1) at TSV Hartberg on Sunday, while leaders Sturm Graz and LASK drew 2:2 (1:1) at the same time. This means that next weekend's league final will be a real showdown for the title, with Salzburg now two points behind. Hartberg can no longer finish fourth as a result of the defeat.

Salzburg took a 3-1 lead after a strong first 45 minutes with goals from strikers Roko Simic (11th), Karim Konaté (27th) and Sekou Koita (45th). Hartberg's goal was scored by Donis Avdijaj in the 41st minute. Konaté added a brace after the break (50', 79'), after which the flow of the game slowed considerably. In the end, Salzburg recorded their first league win since the 4-2 victory over Austria Klagenfurt on April 21. Next week, coach Onur Cinel's team will face third-placed LASK at home.

The first ten minutes in the Profertil Arena belonged to the team from Eastern Styria, who played fearlessly and with pace. The first opportunity came in the 4th minute through a solo effort from Avdijaj, who hit the bar with a shot from distance. However, Salzburg then took the lead: TSV goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger let a low shot from Konaté bounce and Simic dusted it off from close range. Just as the goal celebrations had died down, Koita almost made it 2:0. Luka Sucic's subsequent corner kick hit the crossbar.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Salzburg were now in control and played with a lot of passion, which had not always been the case recently. Simic (19) hit the bar with a header, but the goal might not have counted due to an offside. In the 27th minute, Konaté was on hand with a header, converting his own rebound off the bar after Guindo's assist.

Hartberg got back into the game in the final quarter of an hour of the first half. A lively back-and-forth developed. First, a low shot from Salzburg loanee Mamadou Sangare (35') went just wide of Timo Horn's goal, then Avdijaj rounded Strahinja Pavlovic and shot past Horn from 18 meters. But because Manuel Pfeifer slipped as the last man shortly before the break, Salzburg increased the lead to 3:1: Koita outpaced Sallinger and finished artistically.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Decision shortly after the break
Konaté (50') scored through the legs of the Hartberg goalkeeper to de facto decide the game after the break. The visitors then shifted down a gear - which was enough to keep Hartberg's attacking efforts at bay. Konaté missed against Sallinger in the 65th minute before beating him for the fifth time in the 80th minute. Shortly before, Avdijaj had failed to hit the target from close range.

TSV Hartberg - Red Bull Salzburg 1:5 (1:3)
Hartberg, Profertil Arena, 4,000 spectators, referee Kijas.

Goals: 0:1 (11.) Simic, 0:2 (27.) Konate, 1:2 (41.) Avdijaj, 1:3 (45.) Koita, 1:4 (50.) Konate, 1:5 (79.) Konate

Hartberg : Sallinger - Heil, Komposch, Steinwender, Pfeifer - Frieser (72. Brückner), Prokop (55. Providence), Kainz (72. Halwachs), Sangare, Filafer (55. Diakite) - Avdijaj

Salzburg: Horn - Daniliuc, Baidoo, Pavlovic, Guindo (83. Terzic) - Sucic, Diambou (92. Yeo), Gloukh (75. Gourna-Douath) - Simic (92. Ratkov), Koita, Konate (83. Nene)

Yellow card: Sangare