Recap
Strong performance rewarded with three points
FC Pinzgau Saalfelden 2-0 (0-0) SV Grödig. Goals: Fürstaller (63, 74)
FC Pinzgau Saalfelden finally made their mark on the new season as they claimed a convincing and deserved 2-0 (0-0) victory against SV Grödig. Sota Kitahara and Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez made their debuts for the Mountainous Pine Blues.
Following a nervous start – in which Kilian Schröcker thwarted two chances for Grödig – FC Pinzgau Saalfelden increasingly began to take control of the match. Volkan Akyildiz’s effort clearly missed the target, before Joao Pedro seriously threatened for the first time with a lob. But visiting goalkeeper Stipo Colic was on guard and could not be beaten. Shortly afterwards, the Brazilian got into another promising position but was denied a shot in the six-yard box at the last second. Then came two big chances: Joao Pedro headed sideways to Akyildiz, who poked the ball over from close range, before Tamas Tandari forced Colic into a spectacular save from a narrow angle.
The Ziege crew continued to dominate proceedings and dictate the pace in the second period. Tandari & Co were in the ascendancy, though they were still lacking that clinical edge in front of goal. But the deadlock was finally broken shortly after the hour mark. Christopher Fürstaller latched on to the ball in the box, rounded an opponent and fired a well-placed low shot inside the far post to hand his side a deserved lead. The attacker was in the thick of the action again 10 minutes later, rounding off a superb move and a Schwaighofer assist with a tidy strike into the back of the net to make it 2-0. Ultimately, it was a comfortable and deserved home victory for FC Pinzgau Saalfelden!
“We had Grödig under very good control for 90 minutes, although there were some occasions when our passing was a little sloppy. Our team implemented the plan very well today. We played down the flanks a lot and created good opportunities. It was also a very mature team performance off the ball. The two goals from Fürsti (editor’s note: Christopher Fürstaller) make me very happy and will hopefully generate a lot of momentum for the challenges ahead,” said FCPS coach Christian Ziege.
Line-up: Schröcker; Mühlbacher, Tandari, Zeige, Adjei; Schwaighofer, Joao Pedro (Kitahara, 90), Moosmann, Fürstaller; Handlechner (Seiler, 65), Akyildiz (Ocampo-Chavez, 88)