Red Bull Salzburg
The Red Bulls mustered their worst performance when it mattered most, falling at home to Wacker Innsbruck 3-2, giving up their highest single-match goal total of the season. An early strike by Innsbruck’s Perstaller put Salzburg in the hole at just the eighth minute, but mid-half goals from Dudic and Zarate gave the Red Bulls the lead heading into the half. Fortune favored Innsbruck, however, as they created two tallies out of nothing, with Perstaller completing his brace in the 55th minute and Merino providing the lethal finishing touch.
Salzburg drops to fifth place in a crowded table from top to bottom. Still four points clear of seventh, the Red Bulls are well within striking distance of the title, being down only five points, and are a mere one point shy of a third-place tie. With six matches remaining and the finale against second place FK Austria Wien, the Red Bulls are still very much in contention, but will need to do better than consecutive home losses to advance in the table.
Third place SK Rapid Wien will host Salzburg on May 1 in a critical road test for the Red Bulls (12-7-11).
RB Leipzig
The Red Bulls performed well in two matches, advancing over VfB Auerbach in the Saxon Ladespokal and drawing with Hertha BSC II in league play. Auerbach proved to be a bit of a challenge as Leipzig played a man down for nearly 70 minutes. If not for Ingo Hertzsch’s strike in the 14th minute, captain Tim Sebastian’s send-off may have spelled the end for the Red Bulls in the tournament as Auerbach managed to tie things up before the half. Even shorthanded, the Red Bulls were a superior squad and mustered a 72nd-minute goal to advance to the semifinals. In league play, Leipzig went down early in Berlin and looked to be heading home with nothing until stoppage time, when Thomas Klüsener found the net to salvage a respectable road draw.
The point locks Leipzig into fourth place with 54 points, as the club now sits five points out of third and three ahead of fifth. While Chemnitzer FC’s 67 points appear too much to ask for, third place is still easily attainable and an assault on VfL Wolfsburg II’s hold on second with 63 is not out of the question.
Five matches remain in the season, with Leipzig (15-5-9) balancing a faceoff at home with FC Energie Cottbus II on April 29 and their Saxon Ladespokal run. Having parted ways with coach Tomas Oral due to “missed sporting targets” according to the club’s sporting director, it is clear that only success of the highest quality will be enough in Leipzig.
Red Bull Brasil
The First Team is still enjoying its offseason for another two weeks, while the U-20s thrashed Taboão da Serra in a friendly, 5-0, behind a brace from Caique. The U-15 and U-17 squads took on Atibaia in the third round of the Campeonato Paulista on the weekend and again swept the field, notching 3-0 and 2-1 victories. U-15 player Luan was the star, netting a brace, and both teams sit undefeated atop the league along with esteemed Corinthians.
Red Bull Ghana
The First Team finished its season in fifth place last week and is now on break until May 3, while the youth teams returned to training Wednesday.
