Moussa and John – sounds like a pop duo, but they are in fact the latest characters in our Salzburg success story. One of them made his first-ever start for us in yesterday's ADMIRAL Bundesliga home opener against FC Blau-Weiß Linz, while the other made his very first competitive appearance in our colours. It could not have gone any better for them. After falling behind early on, our novices stepped up and seized control.
Moussa Yeo was a real livewire and showed just how much he has to offer with a goal. He offered a lot more on top of that, with 16 touches of the ball in the opposing penalty area, 12 successful dribbles - the most for our Red Bulls in a single match since Sadio Mane (!) - and 13 challenges won, which was also the best of all our players!
The youngster from Mali came to Salzburg in 2022 and immediately settled in. After playing for our UEFA Youth League team and our co-operation partners FC Liefering, the mazy attacker has moved up to the first team picture in recent months, and showed yesterday that he is well and truly arrived.
While hat-trick scorer Oscar Gloukh might deservedly have claimed the headlines, another superb performance came from left-back John Mellberg. The Swede, who turned 18 two weeks ago, was a big presence on his side of the field and gained great praise from the crowd for a last-gasp sliding tackle.
The boy born in Birmingham, who extended his contract until 2028 recently, also posed some eye-grabbing statistics. He won all of his five challenges, as he settled right into the Austrian top flight having played in Swedish youth football just over a year ago.
The Salzburg Way now has two more big talents to note.
