Bundesliga: LASK and Rapid gain self-confidence

The Linzer gave half a minute a chance, nothing more. After that, the party only ran towards St. Pöltener Tor. Andreas Gruber (34th), the prominent Reinhold Ranftl (46th), Lukas Grgic (56th) and Thomas Goiginger (87th) in their comeback to the Bundesliga after his cruciate ligament tear in March ensured the clear success with which LASK rose to third place behind Salzburg and Rapid.

The biggest compliment for the convincing performance came from the opponent. “I’m almost of the opinion that it was almost a bit more difficult to resist than in the Cup against Salzburg, because LASK was a bit more intense. They gave us no air to breathe, ”said St. Pölten coach Robert Ibertsberger, whose team lost 3-0 to the champions.

Dominik Thalhammer, of course, also praised his team. “It was a very, very good performance,” summed up the LASK coach. “We were extremely dominant, controlling and created a lot of opportunities to score. It was a very, very good positional game, a very determined possession. You saw a lot of flanks, attacks from the side, that if you wanted to find something, we could have finished the game even better in some situations, “Thalhammer analyzed and rightly stated:” The game could have gone even better. “

In any case, LASK gained a lot of self-confidence for the second game of the Europa League on Thursday in Linz against Ludogorez Razgrad. It remains to be seen if James Holland (ankle injury) and Rene Renner (concussion), whose absence was negligible on Sunday, will get back into shape in time. “50:50, probably not,” Thalhammer said.

Happy ending for Rapid in Wolfsberg

Thanks to the happy ending thanks to a penalty made by Ercan Kara in the 93rd minute to make it 4: 3 in the Wolfsberg crime thriller, Rapid has 13 of 15 possible points and is two points behind leader Red Bull Salzburg. Furthermore, the self-confidence for the match with Norwegian champion Molde was also fueled.

“That will give us strength for the next few weeks, when things will continue in rapid succession,” Kühbauer said of the impending double burden. “With victories it is easier to run, it is easier to endure that.”

Four games in eleven days await his team, starting with the appearance of Norway as a guest, making the failure of top scorer Taxiarchis Fountas due to a fractured metacarpal is even more serious. “We don’t have a great squad, you miss all the players,” said Kühbauer, who also had to admit. “If we play like this every week, I’ll hang onto the noose.”

Kühbauer liked Kara

After all, double-scorer Kara and Koya Kitagawa, who had a hit and an assist, jumped into the gap on Sunday. Kühbauer had a special affection for Kara, who was brought in from SV Horn less than a year ago. “He does incredibly well, he never gives up, and that is exactly what sets Rapid apart,” said the Burgenlander praising his forward.

Kara made it 3: 3 in the 76th minute and took the penalty in the final, which became the winning goal. Mateo Barac really wanted to take the penalty. “But I told him to trust me, I will,” Kara said.

Karas elfergeheimnis

By his own account, the 24-year-old hit his 26th consecutive penalty, and his secret to success is “looking after the goalkeeper.” “I saw him (note: WAC goalkeeper Alexander Kofler) lift his left leg, that is, he jumped into this corner,” Kara said. The attacker vowed to exercise humility despite his steep climb. “I try to stay calm and be on the ground. I have many weaknesses that I need to improve. “

Thanks in part to Kara’s precision, you have to go back to 1987 to find a league start for the Hütteldorfer who were more successful on points. At that time, the Viennese won their first eight matches, currently there are at least four wins and one draw, so a “very good result”, as Kühbauer noted. The team’s former player’s contract expires at the end of the season, so there shouldn’t be much in the way of an extension. “I’m ready to talk because I’m good at the company and this club is everything to me,” Kühbauer said.

WAC coach “incredibly disappointed”

Naturally, the mood in WAC coach Ferdinand Feldhofer was less euphoric. “I am incredibly disappointed,” said Styrian, whose club suffered their second loss in their 16th home game against Rapid. As a result, the Wolfsbergs are tied with the bottom of the table, Hartberg, for 10th.

“But now we have played five games against three major teams (note: Salzburg, LASK, Rapid). Consequently, you should not make the mistake of badmouthing everything. Now come the rivals, against whom we have to score squarely ”, emphasized Feldhofer. First of all, the away game against Feyenoord Rotterdam awaits on Thursday in the Europa League. The WAC has so far been the only Austrian team to write.