LASK continues to pick up speed: home win against WAC

LASK held a successful dress rehearsal for the Europa League play-off on Thursday at Sporting Lisbon. At the end of the third round of the Bundesliga, Linz celebrated a deserved 3-1 (1-0) home win over WAC on Sunday, placing them in third place two points behind leaders Red Bull Salzburg.

Hussein Balic (26th) and Marko Raguz (55th / penalty) gave the hosts a 2-0 lead. After Dominik Baumgartner’s connecting goal (73rd), a Gernot Trauner goal (78th) made the decision.

The intensely directed game initially had no highlights. WAC had minimal advantages at the moment, but it was not dangerous in the hosts’ penalty area. Instead, LASK took the lead with its first successful campaign. Marko Raguz placed a Rene Renner cross with his chest for Balic, the former SKN pro hitting a direct shot into the far corner.

Dominik Thalhammer, LASK coach: “It was well deserved”

After that, the High Austrians were clearly in control. A Raguz header flew wide from the Kreuzeck (34th), a shot by Peter Michorl after a James Holland submission landed in the side net (43rd). Shortly after the break, a new co-production by Balic and Raguz made things clear: Balic got into the penalty area, Nemanja Rnic dropped his leg and the LASK side accepted the contact with gratitude, the coming penalty was converted by Raguz (55.).

Thus, everything pointed to a sure victory for LASK, which approached the third goal, among other things with a header from Raguz that he just blocked (68th). But practically out of nowhere, the WAC was back in the game. A cross from Michael Liendl’s free kick was blocked too short, Baumgartner dropped the ball from about twelve meters (73).

Feldhofer, WAC trainer: “We were a bit imprecise”

However, Wolfsberg’s hope of scoring points didn’t last long. In the 78th minute, Trauner headed a Michorl free kick into the far corner. In the final phase, LASK easily played the lead over time and clouded the big 4: 1 (91) opportunity through Dominik Reiter, but also had to accept a disappointment: Holland were eliminated with an ankle injury .