Bundesliga: LASK failed to jump to the top

With a win, Linz would have had a chance to knock Red Bull Salzburg out of first place. The “cops” had previously lost 3-2 at home to RZ Pellets WAC. In the twelfth round on Saturday, Puntigamer Sturm Graz (3-0 at home against spusu SKN St. Pölten) and Rapid Wien (1-0 at Flyeralarm Admira) are just one point between fourth in the table and the leader. Salzburg continues to lead by 25 points ahead of Sturm (one game less played), LASK and Rapid (24 each).

A clear overweight of occasions from Upper Austria, who again went without a win after 1: 3 against Salzburg, went without reward. After losing to Sturm and WAC, Autria was able to score at least one point again, but they are eight games without winning. With eleven points, coach Peter Stöger’s team is in tenth position just four points from the bottom of the table. The gap with the master group is five points.

Stöger makes four changes to the starting eleven

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 midfield, Thomas Ebner replaced Alexander Grünwald in the squad, while Austria’s coach 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 went the expected direction. LASK had significantly more ball possession, dictated the action and let the leather run well, the Viennese were waiting for the counterattack. The first one involved 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).

Teigl briefs become the ideal template

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.

Grünwald sees yellow-red

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 when Johannes Eggestein took a free kick into the area and was also excluded with the traffic light card, but Renner missed the penalty opportunity.

Voices for the game:

Peter stoeger (Austria coach): “I am somewhat satisfied with the performance. Despite this, we don’t allow so many dangerous situations against a dominant team and we play the counterattacks quite well. We didn’t always make the right decision, but the way we resisted was totally fine. We also got lucky with Pentz 911. It is not a coincidence that he has the point for us, it was the most consistent this season. “

Dominik Thalhammer (LASK coach): “We were the best team, we deserved the victory and the championship lead. But we take it that way and see it as our mission to make spring even better and unfold even more. Our journey is far from over. If a penalty is not taken so late, the disappointment in the dressing room is enormous. But I told the team to look in the rearview mirror to see how they were performing. You could see a lot of development. “

Regarding the table: “I think we can look forward to an exciting spring. Of course it is good for the league when Salzburg are weak. I think that’s good for Austrian football. “

Patrick Pentz (Austria-Tormann): “We made it difficult for LASK for 70 minutes, then we only defended what was not so easy. We have finally been rewarded for the effort we put in. “

Typical Bundesliga, twelfth day

Sunday:

Austria – SHOT 1: 1 (1: 1)

Vienna, Generali Arena, SR Ciochirca

Sequence of objectives:
1: 0 Pichler (13.)
1: 1 Goiginger (22.)

Austria: Pentz – Zwierschitz, Schösswendter (74./Handl), Palmer-Brown, Suttner – Teigl, Ebner, Jukic (84./Grünwald), Wimmer (56./Sarkaria) – Fitz (84./Hahn), Pichler

LASK: Schlager – Wiesinger, Trauner, Andrade – Ranftl, Madsen, Michorl, Renner – Reiter (82./Plojer), Eggestein, Goiginger

Note: Renner (97./LASK) misses a penalty kick to Pentz

Yellow-red card: Grünwald (96./Austria)

Yellow cards: Palmer-Brown or Trauner, Madsen, Reiter, Wiesinger

Best: Palmer-Brown, Pichler, Pentz or Trauner, Michorl, Andrade