Salzburg (foto: Uradni Twitter profil kluba/zveze)
During a moment in the second half of the 1st round of the new phase against Benfica in Lisbon, three Serbian players played for the Austrian champions' team.
This is a first in the Champions League, excluding the player rosters of Crvena zvezda and Partizan.
What an achievement, what a result! Salzburg's footballers, in the opening match of the new Champions League cycle, managed to defeat the strong Benfica at the packed "La Luz" stadium. The Austrian team outplayed the Portuguese side, and as a result of such a good performance, they secured a 2:0 victory for the visitors, earning their first three points.
But that's not all! Gerhard Struber's squad could have celebrated even more convincingly had Konate scored a penalty goal in the 3rd minute. The scorers for Salzburg were Roko Šimić and Gloukh.
What is very significant for the Serbian national football team is the fact that all three potential members of coach Dragan Stojković Piksi's team were on the field. Strahinja Pavlović, the strong young center-back, played 89 minutes, left-back Aleksa Terzić spent all 90 minutes on the Lisbon stadium's field, while the highly talented striker Petar Ratkov entered the game in the 71st minute.
So, at one point, all three Serbian players were on the "La Luz" field against Benfica! Historic! For the first time in the Champions League, in a single club, excluding Crvena zvezda and Partizan, three Serbian footballers played!