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LASK failed to don the “winter crown” in the Bundesliga. At the end of the 12th round in Wiener Austria, the Upper Austria did not go more than 1: 1, so they could not take advantage of the slip of the table leader Salzburg (2: 3 against WAC) and finish 2020 in the table one point behind Bullen “and tied behind Sturm Graz, who played one game less, and third ahead of Rapid.
Benedikt Pichler (13th) overtook the Viennese surprisingly early, but Thomas Goiginger (22nd) tied quickly. A clear overweight of occasions of the guests, who again remained without a win after the 1: 3 against Salzburg, was without reward, also because Rene Renner missed in the 97th minute with a penalty from free to Austrian goalkeeper Patrick Pentz. Coach Peter Stöger’s squad enters the winter break with eight games without a win, but after losing to Sturm and WAC, they managed to score a point again. With eleven points, you are tenth just four points from the bottom of the table. The difference with the “superior play-off” is five points.
Stöger made four changes compared to the 3-2 loss at WAC. Up front, Pichler and Dominik Fitz broke in in place of Alon Turgeman and Christoph Monschein, who both had to miss due to an instep injury at home. In central midfield, Thomas Ebner passed the team for Alexander Grünwald, while the Austrian coach with Christoph Schösswendter relied on routine on defense. The 32-year-old was preferred to Johannes Handl and made his first appearance in the “Veilchen” dress. The Linzers were missing the ailing Andreas Gruber and James Holland, who was struck in the thigh.
After a minute of silence by the late former ÖFB team boss Otto Baric, the game basically took the expected course. The High Austrians had significantly more ball possession, dictated what happened and let the leather run well, the Viennese awaited the counterattack. The first one immediately brought about the surprising leadership of the locals. Pichler let Mads Emil Madsen out with a hook and hit the far corner with his left. The striker was immediately the center of attention on the other side, saving a Goiginger cross for the Viennese with a header on the line (15th).
Seven minutes later, the Linzers rewarded each other for their effort, but they also got the luck they needed. Georg Teigl kicked the ball off his heel, then slipped and inadvertently provided an ideal squad for Goiginger, who hit the Kreuzeck from a lateral position just inside the penalty area. Pentz was powerless. Otherwise, the Austrian goalkeeper did not have to intervene before the break, the guests had a hard time working on the best occasions.
After the restart, little changed in the game, the Linz team pressed on the opening goal. Gernot Trauner and Goiginger missed a double chance (52nd), Reinhold Ranftl aimed past the far corner (58th) and Renner moved from a good position after Zwierschitz’s mistake (60th). Three minutes later, substitute Manprit Sarkaria was about to turn the game around, but missed.
Otherwise the guests continued to dominate, Dominik Reiter (80th) and Philipp Wiesinger (81st) found their champions at Pentz. But Austria, with whom Patrick Wimmer was eliminated on suspicion of concussion, tried again to put accents in a gripping finale. Teigl rushed away from Linz’s defense, but missed the goal (83rd). In injury time it was really turbulent again. The “Joker” Grünwald threw Trauner by the shirt with Eggestein’s free kick in the area and was also excluded with the traffic light card, but Renner missed the penalty opportunity.
The Bulls said goodbye to the Bundesliga winter break with a 3-2 loss to WAC on Sunday. Read more:
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