WALS-SIEZENHEIM, Austria (Interstat) — In a stunning upset to open the Austrian Bundesliga season, WSG Tirol rode a wave of second-half goals from its substitutes to defeat Red Bull Salzburg 3-2 on Sunday at a rain-soaked Red Bull Arena.

The visitors, projected by analysts to struggle, overturned a halftime deficit with a resilient performance, handing Salzburg a rare home loss to start their domestic campaign.

The match began at a frantic pace, with WSG Tirol’s Kerim Alajbegović receiving a yellow card in just the fifth minute. Salzburg, the perennial domestic powerhouse, seized control early. In the 11th minute, midfielder Moussa Kounfolo Yeo broke the deadlock, finishing a play to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

Salzburg continued to press and doubled their advantage in the 37th minute through forward Edmund Baidoo, sending the home side into the break with a comfortable two-goal cushion and all the momentum.

The second half, however, told a completely different story. WSG Tirol manager Thomas Silberberger’s substitutions proved decisive, fundamentally altering the course of the match. The comeback began in the 64th minute when substitute Nikolai Baden Frederiksen found the net, cutting Salzburg’s lead in half and injecting belief into the visiting squad.

The momentum shifted irrevocably in WSG Tirol’s favor just seven minutes later. Baden Frederiksen was shown a yellow card in the 71st minute, but the warning did little to slow his team’s surge. In the 74th minute, another substitute, Jamie Lawrence, scored the equalizer, completing a rapid seven-minute, two-goal burst that leveled the score at 2-2.

The dramatic winner came from yet another player introduced from the bench. Substitute Valentino Müller, who had been booked earlier in the match, delivered the final blow to complete the remarkable turnaround and seal a 3-2 victory for WSG Tirol.

The match’s intensity was reflected in a flurry of disciplinary actions in the final quarter-hour. WSG Tirol’s Benjamin Böckle was booked in the 78th minute, followed by Salzburg’s Matthäus Taferner receiving a yellow card in the 80th minute. The situation worsened for Salzburg when Taferner was shown a red card in the 87th minute, forcing the hosts to finish the match with 10 men.

The stoppage-time period saw further bookings for Salzburg goalkeeper Alexander Schlager and WSG Tirol’s Soumaïla Diabaté, underscoring a fractious end to a contest that slipped away from the heavy favorites.

The result defied the pre-match projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 2-1 victory for Salzburg. Their ELO system had also given Salzburg a 53.70 percent probability of securing the win, making WSG Tirol’s comeback victory a significant statistical anomaly.

With the win, WSG Tirol begins its Bundesliga season with a perfect record of one win and zero losses, while Salzburg starts with zero wins and one loss. The records across all competitions for both clubs are identical to their new league standings. The performance of WSG Tirol’s substitutes was the defining narrative, with Nikolai Baden Frederiksen and Valentino Müller each contributing a goal and an assist, and Jamie Lawrence adding a crucial goal to complete the stunning road victory.