Red Bull Salzburg win Austrian Cup

FC Red Bull Salzburg players celebrate while following social distancing rules after winning the Austrian Cup with a 5-0 victory over Austria Lustenau in Klagenfurt, Austria, May 29, 2020. /VCG

Red Bull Salzburg won the Austrian Cup with a ruthless 5-0 destruction of second tier Austria Lustenau in the final as the season resumed following the coronavirus stoppage on Friday.

In a match played without spectators at Woerthersee Stadium, the favorites took control of the match with two quick-fire goals midway through the first half.

Dominik Szoboszlai put Salzburg ahead from a free kick in the 19th minute and Dominik Stumberger put through his own goal two minutes later as Lustenau, making their second final appearance, fell apart.

Noah Okafor took advantage of poor marking to fire the third in the 53rd minute, Majeed Ashimeru drove in the fourth from the edge of the area in the 65th minute and Sekou Koita completed the rout when a clearance ricocheted off him and into the net.

The Austrian Cup final between FC Red Bull Salzburg and Austria Lustenau is played without spectators at the Woerthersee Stadium in Klagenfurt, Austria, May 29, 2020. /VCG

It is the seventh time that Salzburg have won the competition, all of them in the last nine seasons.

According to the the football website Goal.com, this victory has highlighted the role of manager Jesse Marsch, who made history by becoming the "first born-and-bred American coach to win a major European trophy."

"This is an experiment for me to see if my way of thinking, my way of leadership, of relationships, can function in the most competitive world of our sport here in Europe – although I understand Austria is not the highest level in Europe," Marsch told reporters recently.

"The first social-distanced trophy celebration belongs to Jesse Marsch's RB Salzburg! The American manager's club has won the Austrian Cup," said Sports Illustrated via its Twitter account Planet Futbol.

FC Red Bull Salzburg manager Jesse Marsch (R) celebrates with Patson Daka when the Zambian footballer is substituted during the match in Klagenfurt, Austria, May 29, 2020. /VCG

"I couldn't have more respect for what Salzburg are doing here, the way they play football," Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp said after the match. "Massive respect for Jesse and what they did."

However, the first American-born manager to win a European trophy is John Caulfield, who was in charge of the Irish football club Cork City between 2013 and 2019. Caulfield transformed a team which was on the verge of bankruptcy to holders of a remarkable winning record.

The league season is due to restart on June 2.

(With input from Reuters)