Incredible comeback takes us into play-offs Tabakovic the hat-trick hero The evening was not one for the faint hearted! Our Red Bulls have advanced to the UEFA Europa League play-offs after a spectacular comeback. In a real battle in the heat at Pafos, our lads showed tremendous fighting spirit in the second half, turning a 0-2 deficit around and rewarding themselves with a 3-3 draw, which secured our place in the next round with a 4-3 aggregate win. Match summary Kick-off – from the rain to the heat
After the damp conditions in the first leg, our lads faced a real battle against the heat in the return leg. Nevertheless, we got off to an almost perfect start: just seconds in, Bartosz Mazurek finished off a beautiful passing move, but failed to convert his one-on-one chance against Pafos goalkeeper Majecki 15' – behind early in Cyprus
Overall, the home side had the more dominant opening phase. After a quarter of an hour, Pafos FC ruthlessly exploited the space afforded by a switch of play: Lele headed home a perfectly placed cross to give the hosts the lead 31' & 37' – lack of clinical touch and another blow It wasn't until half an hour had passed that our team showed any signs of life, but a dangerous cross from Kitano found no takers in the penalty area. Although we subsequently enjoyed more possession and made the game more balanced, we lacked the final touch. In the 37th minute, the next setback came: Teixeira's free-kick from the side sailed past everyone and into the net. We went into the break trailing 0-2 54' & 58' – double strike brings us right back into it
The reward for the courageous performance and our efforts after the break came in the 54th minute. After a great dribble by Damir Redzic, Haris Tabakovic followed up energetically and fired the ball into the net to pull one back. Our lads gained new confidence and added another goal shortly afterward. A handball by Pafos defender Goldar in the penalty area led to a penalty kick. Tabakovic stepped up, kept his cool, and made it 2-2 62' and 85' – Tabakovic hat-trick and a nervy end
The Cypriots subsequently increased the pressure, but our defence cleared everything in front of them. In the 70th minute, our marksman struck again. After good work by Vertessen, a cleared ball landed at the feet of Edmund Baidoo, whose deflected shot fell to Tabakovic. With unwavering conviction, he fired the ball into the net for his hat-trick. Despite a superb double save by Christian Zawieschitzky (77'), the hosts refused to give up. In the 84th minute, Mammadov unleashed an unstoppable curling shot from the right wing into the far corner to level the score at 3-3 and give Pafos renewed hope. With a concerted effort, we managed to secure the draw and ultimately the 4-3 aggregate victory.
By advancing, our Red Bulls have secured their place in the UEFA Europa League play-offs (and are therefore guaranteed to play in a European league phase in 2026/27). The play-off takes us this coming Thursday into an away match in Sweden against Mjällby, before the decisive second leg at our home stadium on 27 August (ticket information coming soon!). Before that, however, our focus shifts entirely to the domestic league and the upcoming ADMIRAL Bundesliga away match against WSG Tirol this Sunday. Views I'm proud of the team and very happy with the performance and the reaction in the second half! Constantly dealing with adversity in the early stages of the season is a great quality to have. Deciding games late, turning them around, is a real strength alongside all our tactical developments. It certainly wasn't our best game, but a very emotional one that we won with great mental fortitude! Danny Röhl We knew this game wouldn't be easy – and that was evident in the first half. But we showed character and made some tactical adjustments at half-time, which worked out perfectly. We were more dominant in the second half and scored at the right moments. This match gives the team a huge boost, and we're thrilled to have qualified for the next round! Haris Tabakovic Match details Line-ups & substitutionsPafos FC: Majecki – Bruno, Goldar, Luiz ©, Ioannou – Pepe, Sunjic (75. Anderson Silva), Rodrigues (61. Ngamaleu) – Dragomir (82. Mammadov), Lele, TeixeiraFC Red Bull Salzburg: Zawieschitzky – Veratschnig © (82. Morgalla), Boma, Zabransky, Schmid – Barry, Mazurek – Kitano (46. Baidoo), Vertessen (82. Drexler), Redzic (86. Krätzig) – Tabakovic (75. Konate) Goals: Lele (15.), Teixeira (37.), Mammadov (84.) - Tabakovic (54., 58., 70.)Attendance: TBAReferee: Joao Pinheiro (POR)Yellow cards: Bruno (48./Foul) - Veratschnig (36./Foul) Injury news
Johannes Moser (adductors) and Enrique Aguilar (forearm), Soumaila Diabate and Gaoussou Diakite (both thigh), who were injured in the first leg, were unavailable for this match. Anrie Chase, Stefan Lainer and Justin Omoregie are currently taking part in some training again, but it was still too soon for them to play today.