Adeyemi’s brilliance helps Salzburg shoot down Barcelona

The Nigeria-eligible youngster lasted only 45 minutes, but his impact propelled the Austrian champions to a fine win in their first-ever clash against the Spanish giants

Young forward Karim Adeyemi was one of the stars of the show as Salzburg defeated Barcelona 2-1 in the friendly match played at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday.

Adeyemi, a German youth international with Nigerian roots, provided the biggest highlight of the first half when his brilliant pass opened enough space for Luka Sucic to break the deadlock for the Austrian side just before the break. 

Adeyemi’s exploits will not surprise many who have seen him score three goals in Salzburg’s last two games.

20-year-old forward Chukwubuike Adamu, another promising Austrian youth international of Nigerian descent, replaced Adeyemi at halftime.

Despite being without free agent Lionel Messi, Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman named a strong attack with new signing Memphis Depay, Antoine Griezmann, and Frenkie de Jong. 

But it was second-half substitute Martin Braithwaite who got off the bench to add the decisive touch to the Catalan giants’ possession game as he netted the equaliser with eight minutes left on the clock. 

Salzburg, who have started their 2021-22 league campaign in style with back-to-back wins, had the last laugh, though.

The reigning Austrian champions showed they were a lot fitter than their opponents as a late Aaronson winner secured the bragging rights for Matthias Jaissle’s men.