Austria Salzburg beats Wacker 1-0 in first derby in a decade

Austria Salzburg beat FC Wacker Innsbruck 1-0 in the first West derby between the traditional rivals in 10 years, ORF reported. Tirol-born Christian Gebauer scored the winner with a header in the 52nd minute.

A sold-out crowd of 16,125 watched Friday’s match at Tivoli Stadium. Authorities deployed 300 to 400 police officers amid concerns about possible clashes in and around the stadium.

The first half of the second-division match’s ninth round featured few clear chances and was marked by technical errors. Salzburg took the lead soon after the break when Florian Rieder, a former WSG player, delivered a free kick for Gebauer to head home.

Wacker nearly equalised in the 56th minute, but Gstrein was denied by Salzburg goalkeeper Täubl. Further headed chances for Owusu in the 70th minute and Biancheri in the 87th went unused. Both sets of supporters marched through Innsbruck before the match and backed their teams with banners and choreographies.