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Mwepu: Zambian midfielder scores as Wolfsberger AC hold Salzburg
The Zambia international got his second league strike of the season as Die Mozartstadter’s three-game winning streak came to a halt
Salzburg played out a 2-2 draw with AC Wolfsberger in Sunday’s Austrian Bundesliga game, with Zambia’s Enock Mwepu finding the net.
The hosts came into the encounter on the back of three wins on the bounce and were in need of a victory to increase their title chances; nonetheless, they were held by Ferdinand Feldhofer’s tenacious side, who are eyeing a place in next season’s Europa League.
Japanese winger Masaya Okugawa put Salzburg ahead in the 19th minute after been played in by South Korea’s Hwang Hee-chan.
Die Mozartstadter showed the desire to add more goals but their efforts met strong resistance by the visitors who put up a solid defensive display inside Wals-Siezenheim’s Red Bull Arena.
Mwepu doubled Jesse Marsch’s men's lead in the 71st minute after beating two Wolfsberger defenders before firing past goalkeeper Alexander Kofler.
When it looked like the visitors would be heading home with their heads bowed low, they launched a comeback with less than 10 minutes to the end of the game.
First, it was captain Andreas Ulmer who turned the ball into his own net in the 80th minute before substitute Michael Liendi ensured that the game ended with no winner following an assist from Cheikhou Dieng’s replacement Alexander Schmidt, with four minutes more to play.
Despite the draw, Salzburg occupy the summit of the Bundesliga log with 38 points from 28 games, while Feldhofer's Wolfsberger are fourth with 25 points from the same number of matches.
For goal-scorer Mwepu, Sunday’s game was his 22nd of the season. He played every minute of the game alongside compatriot Patson Daka, while German-Nigerian Karim Adeyemi came on for Hee-Chan after 74 minutes.
Ghana’s Majeed Ahimeru came on for Okugawa with 26 minutes left to play while Cameroon’s Jerome Onguene, and Mali duo of Sekou Koita and Mohamed Camara were not listed for action.
Wolfsberger face Isaac Donkor’s SK Sturm Graz in their next game on Wednesday as Mwepu and Daka’s team face a daunting task against second-placed Rapid Wien, which parade Nigeria’s Bright Edomwonyi and Gambia’s Maudo Jarjue, before hosting fifth-place Hartberg on Sunday.
