Salzburg Claim First Champions League Victory with 3-1 Win Over Feyenoord

Salzburg secured their first points of the Champions League season with a convincing 3-1 win over Feyenoord at home. The match, which started slowly, came to life in the second half, with Mohamed Konate playing a pivotal role in his side's victory, scoring twice before sealing the win with an assist.

The first half saw little action, but just before the break, Konate gave Salzburg the lead with a well-timed header. Early in the second half, Konate struck again, finishing a close-range chance from a corner to make it 2-0.

Feyenoord’s hopes were briefly revived in the 83rd minute when summer signing Hadj Moussa netted his first goal for the club, cutting the deficit to 2-1. However, the game took a dramatic turn shortly after. Feyenoord’s substitute, Nadje, was shown a red card following a VAR review, leaving the Dutch side with 10 men.

Salzburg quickly capitalized on the numerical advantage. After another VAR check, they were awarded a penalty, but Konate's effort came back off the crossbar. However, shortly after, Guindo made no mistake, firing a fine strike into the roof of the net to restore Salzburg’s two-goal lead and secure the win.

Feyenoord's xG (expected goals) of 0.70 reflected their struggles to break down Salzburg's defense, while the Austrian side’s 1.79 xG highlighted their dominance in creating chances. Salzburg now move up to 30th in the Champions League table, while Feyenoord drop to 21st. 

Looking ahead, Feyenoord will travel to Manchester City in their next fixture, while Salzburg will face Bayer Leverkusen away on matchday five.