ADMIRAL Bundesliga Matchday 27 Reviews

Qualification Round

Cashpoint SCR Altach 0-0 LASK

A goalless draw between Altach and LASK in Vorarlberg saw the home side extend their unbeaten start to the Qualification Round to five games – their longest undefeated streak in the Bundesliga in almost two years – while the visitors are now winless in four games and have scored only once during that time. Peter Michorl, who was making his 300^th competitive appearance for the Linzers, had several attempts from outside the penalty area but did not trouble Tino Casali in the home goal, while the best chance of the game fell to young Altach forward Noah Bischof, who could not quite get enough on his header at the back post to beat Alexander Schlager. But the point was enough to keep Ludovic Magnin’s charges in fifth place, narrowly above the relegation spot. LASK are three points ahead in second.

TSG Egger Glas Hartberg 1-2 FC Flyeralarm Admira 

Hartberg might have finally scored a goal – the first time they have found the net in the Austrian top flight in over 700 minutes of football – but it was not enough to stop them slipping to a home defeat to Admira as their club-record nine-game unbeaten streak against the Lower Austrians finally came to an end. Rapid Vienna-bound Roman Kerschbaum opened the scoring with his ninth goal of the season and sixth penalty kick in the 13^th minute, before Stefano Surdanovic slotted home emphatically from inside the box on the stroke of half-time. Tobias Kainz halved the deficit early in the second period to bring the goal drought to an end – to the obvious delight of the home faithful – but there were to be no further goals. The result ensured the two teams finished the matchday at opposite ends of the table: Admira top the Qualification Round on 19 points, while Hartberg prop up a tightly packed bottom six on 14 points.

SV Guntamatic Ried 2-3 WSG Tirol

The suspension of key midfielder Stefan Nutz, who had previously played every Bundesliga match and has notched eight goals and 17 assists in all competitions this season, proved costly as Ried slipped to only their second home defeat of the season against a struggling WSG Tirol side. Zan Rogelj opened the scoring for the visitors completely against the run of play midway through the first goal, only for goals from Murat Satin and Ante Bajic either side of the interval to give the Upper Austrians the advantage heading into the closing stages. But Giacomo Vrioni, who has struggled for goals recently, popped up with two late strikes – the second of which came in the 94^th minute – to secure a dramatic victory for the Tyroleans. The defeat saw Ried drop from pole position to third place in the Qualification Round, while WSG Tirol’s victory carries them four points clear of the sole relegation berth.  

Championship Round

FK Austria Wien 1-2 FC Red Bull Salzburg

Red Bull Salzburg extended their unbeaten streak against Austria Vienna to 11 Bundesliga matches with a victory that takes them to the cusp of their ninth successive league title. After a quiet first half, the game sprang into life after the restart: Junior Adamu volleyed home at the back post to give the Red Bulls a 52^nd minute lead, only for Aleksandar Jukic to score from the penalty spot to draw the Violets level 13 minutes later. But a further 13 minutes after that, Luka Sucic coolly slotted home Noah Okafor’s cutback to make it 2-1. Dominik Fitz thought he had levelled at 2-2 with a powerful free-kick from a tight angle in stoppage time, but the goal was disallowed due to Noah Ohio obstructing goalkeeper Philipp Köhn from an offside position. Salzburg, who are 12 points clear at the summit, need a win in their next fixture to be sure of clinching the title with four games to spare by virtue of their superior head-to-head record against Sturm Graz. Austria Vienna, meanwhile, remain in fourth position.

SK Puntigamer Sturm Graz 2-1 SK Rapid Wien

Second-placed Sturm Graz opened up a seemingly insurmountable eight-point cushion over third-placed Rapid Vienna courtesy of a 2-1 victory on home turf. Jakob Jantscher’s persistence paid off when he drove in from the right flank and slotted home via the far post in the 25^th minute to take his goal tally for the season to 11 – making him the club’s joint top scorer alongside Manprit Sarkaria. Danish youngster Rasmus Hojlund then doubled the advantage shortly after the hour mark, driving forward into space vacated by the Rapid defence before firing a left-footed shot into the bottom corner. The Green & Whites did pull a goal back through Ferdy Druijf in stoppage time, but it was too little too late. The Grazers are now well on course for their highest league placement since the 2017/18 campaign, while the capital club remain a point ahead of cross-city rivals Austria in third.

RZ Pellets WAC 1-2 SK Austria Klagenfurt

Wolfsberg’s collapse continued as they extended their pointless start to the Championship Round and dropped into bottom spot in the top six following a 2-1 home defeat to regional rivals Austria Klagenfurt in the Carinthian derby. On a sunny afternoon at the Lavanattal-Arena, Alex Timossi Andersson drilled a brilliant finish into the bottom corner – his fifth goal of the Bundesliga campaign – to open the scoring for the visitors inside the first three minutes. Wolfsberg’s talisman Michi Liendl drew his side level after being teed up by Matthäus Taferner around the quarter-hour mark, but the teams were not on equal terms for long: a minute later, Timossi Andersson delivered a perfect cross into the middle to tee up Florian Jaritz to make it 2-1. The three points carried Austria Klagenfurt above their opponents and into fifth place (19 points), with struggling Wolfsberg now a point behind in sixth.