Curtain falls on our European campaign | OneFootball

just like last year, our time in the europa league was reduced to a Cameo performance. there are many reasons for that. it's time to take stock.

Too little, too late: the performance yesterday may have been okay, but after the first leg it was insufficent for this competition, especially against a side with the class of Villarreal. They have a quality we have not been able to show in Europe this season - the ablity to eke out wins.

disappointment above all else

That we had only 180 minutes in the UEFA Europa League is painful, of course, especially as our record in Europe shows we have nothing to fear from the likes of Villarreal. We are right in there among the conversation of established European knockout round sides, but we struggle to have the last word. That wasn't always the case, which raises the question of what was different back then. There are two things that spring immediately to mind - dominance and good luck.

When it comes to the first of those, the question of whose tune the game was played to is of paramount importance. It was clearly Villarreal's in both games. We had two shots on goal yesterday, two corners and won 37% of our challenges - statistics that are hardly ever as poor for us. We weren't able to stamp our authority on the match. We danced to Villarreal's tune, and once they had set the tone, it was always going to be difficult to win.

On the latter, there were certainly some big turning points like the big chance that Luka Sucic missed or the overturned penalty we were initially awarded with. Fortune in football isn't just about great things happening when you least expect it, it's about being able to claim what you deserved at times. Still, if we had more verve and urgency, we would have stood a better chance of breaking the resolute Submarinos down.

Villarreal 2-1 FC Salzburg

Possession: 49-51

Shots on target: 4-2

Shots off target: 1-5

Challenges won: 63-37

Fouls 7-17

Corners 1-2

Passing accuracy(%) 78-78

VIL cards: Yellow x 1, Red x 0

SAL cards: Yellow x 4, Red x 0

Ifs, buts and maybes

Whether it's in the UEFA Champions League or the Europa League – every match has its own story. A more coherent narrative emerges if you don't look at each individual match but the whole saga, however. Our story in Europe this season will be one told with plenty of use of the subjunctive, unfortunately. Could have, would be and if are sure to feature regularly - whether you are talking about in Madrid, at home against Bayern or in Villarreal. It's a long story of almost achieving sensational results that never quite wanted to happen for various reasons. We might have made a few headlines along the way, but our European campaign this season unfortunately won't end up in the history books.

there is no substitute for experience …

… apart from more experience. It's a lesson that involves time and involves failing. Failing is a relative term, of course. Once again we represented the Austrian Bundesliga proudly in the UEFA Champions League, and once again the world saw what we are capable of. Experience is the the element we are still lacking, as yesterday showed. As only time can bring experience, we can start looking forward already to next season's European adventures.