Uefa Cup, first round, first leg/Salzburg - 2 Blackburn - 2: Blackburn suffered late Uefa Cup heartbreak as they came within 90 seconds of creating club history. In 16 previous matches in both the Uefa Cup and Champions League, Rovers had won just one match.
Consequently, in coming from behind in this first round, first-leg tie with goals from Robbie Savage and Benni McCarthy, Rovers were poised to win on the road on the Continent for the first time in nine attempts.
But they were unable to weather a late Salzburg storm as Marc Janko grabbed an equaliser in the second minute of injury-time.
After bringing on Sergio Peter for Paul Gallagher in the 81st minute, Brad Friedel made his first meaningful save of the game soon after.
The American was at full stretch in tipping onto the right-hand post a downward header from Niko Kovac after latching onto Karel Pitak's cross.
Thomas Linke then clipped the post with a shot from distance, while Milan Dudic directed a header a yard wide before Friedel was booked for time wasting.
Friedel made another great save from Pitak in injury-time, but in failing to clear their lines, it allowed Salzburg to grab a late equaliser, with Marc Janko heading home a Kovac cross.
As with the first half, the opening exchanges of the second were controlled by Salzburg, although without ever testing Friedel.
Instead it was Blackburn who had the opening opportunity, albeit via a long-range effort from David Bentley which forced Timo Ochs to fist clear.
Two minutes later, though, it perhaps should have been 3-1 as a pull-back from Peddersesn Morten Gamst was ballooned over by Savage from eight yards.
The chances were now stacking up for Rovers but they could not kill the game off and fell to the late equaliser.
SV RED BULL SALZBURG: Ochs, Bodnar, Dudic, Linke, Carboni, Kovac, Zickler, Jezek, Tiffert, Meyer, Janocko. Subs: Ozcan, Pitak, Vonlanthen, Steinhofer, Janko, Aufhauser, Winklhofer.
BLACKBURN: Friedel, Neill, Khizanishvili, Tugay, Emerton, Savage, McCarthy, Bentley, Pedersen, Gallagher, Ooijer. Subs: Brown, Todd, Nonda, Mokoena, Jeffers, Peter, Nolan.
Referee: Tomasz Mikulski (Poland).
