ADMIRAL Bundesliga Matchday 30 Reviews

ADMIRAL Bundesliga Matchday 30 Reviews

Qualification Round

LASK 3-3 TSV Egger Glas Hartberg

A six-goal thriller ended all-square in Pasching as LASK missed a late penalty, and with it, the chance to win their first game with Dietmar Kühbauer at the helm. Keito Nakamura turned a cross in off the post after eleven minutes, but Hartberg levelled soon after with some neat passing setting up Okan Aydin for his second goal in two games. Nakamura fired into the bottom corner from well outside the box as LASK regained their lead midway through the first half; it was a fifth goal of the group for the Japanese forward, and a sixth Bundesliga goal overall. Once again there was a quick reply though, as another counter ended up on the head of Noel Niemann and Hartberg got back to 2-2 with less than half an hour played! That was the 500th goal of the ADMIRAL Bundesliga season, but the teams weren’t done yet. After the break, Thomas Goiginger had a stroke of luck as he deflected a cross into the net for 3-2, meaning he’s now scored against all 15 teams that he’s ever faced in the league. After weathering a storm of LASK attacks, Hartberg again found an answer as Donis Avdijaj tapped in a shot that had been blocked on the line. In a dramatic finish, Sascha Horvath rattled a 90th minute penalty against the bar, and so he spurned the chance to defeat his old club and send LASK top of the table. The Upper Austrians stay second, with Hartberg a point behind in third.

FC Flyeralarm Admira 1-1 WSG Tirol

Off the back of four wins in five Bundesliga games, WSG were looking to move away at the top of the group table; two late goals were traded on Saturday afternoon, but it was Admira who grabbed the equaliser, meaning they have only lost one of their last eight games. Both teams pushed forward, and WSG’s top scorer Giacomo Vrioni managed five shots, but it was full back Kofi Schulz who slid in to tap home a fifth career Bundesliga goal after a Zan Rogelj cross with 80 minutes gone. Thomas Silberberger’s side couldn’t hold onto their lead though, and Admira centre back Luan fired home from close range with three minutes left. It was his first goal in an Admira jersey, and it earned his team a point to leave them fourth, five points away from relegation danger with two games left to come. WSG Tirol remain three points ahead at the top of the pile, and they’re looking likely to seal a place in the league’s internal European Qualification Play-Off.

CASHPOINT SCR Altach 1-1 SV Guntamatic Ried

The Bundesliga’s bottom two sides met on Saturday and played out an entertaining draw. Atdhe Nuhiu and Christoph Monschein went close early on for Altach, but it was Ried who took the lead seven minutes before the break. Julian Wiessmeier’s ball into the box was flicked on by Nene Dorgeles into the path of Ante Bajic, who lifted the ball high over the keeper and in for 1-0. It was a ninth goal of the season for Bajic, taking him four clear of last season’s tally. Altach had close to 60% of the possession as they tried to get back into the game, and they found an equaliser with 20 minutes to play, as Nuhiu headed a corner towards Monschein at the back post, and his emphatic volleyed finish proved unstoppable. It was a third goal of the group stage for the former Austria and LASK man, and it could still be a crucial one. Altach would have been perilously close to relegation with a defeat, and they went all-out for a winner, but despite a couple of pinball moments in the box, there were no clear-cut chances to take all three points. Despite the draw, the Vorarlbergers are left at the foot of the table, four points behind SV Ried with two games to go.

Championship Round

SK Austria Klagenfurt 1-2 SK Puntigamer Sturm Graz

Sturm had to come from behind against the ten men of Klagenfurt to claim the win in Carinthia on Sunday afternoon. Nicolas Wimmer was sent off after 12 minutes for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity, and that was Klagenfurt’s 11th dismissal of the season, extending their own negative record. Nonetheless, keeper Phillip Menzel kept them level with saves from Rasmus Höjlund and Jakob Jantscher among others. Three minutes after the break, the home fans were jubilant as Turgay Gemicibasi curled home a stunning set-piece to give his team the lead in style. It was an eighth goal of the season for him, and Klagenfurt’s first converted direct free-kick in the Bundesliga. Just five minutes later, Luka Kronberger got his first league assist in 46 games when he slotted a pass in to Jantscher, who found the net coolly with an angled finish for 1-1. Both teams had chances to win it, but it was Sturm who delivered late on. Anderson Niangbo headed in his third goal of the season, all of which have come from the bench, to put the away team ahead in the dying minutes. Jakob Jantscher provided the assist from a dead ball; he now has 13 goals and 14 assists for the season; eight of those 27 scorer points have come in the Championship Round, which is more than any other player has managed. Klagenfurt stay in sixth, two points behind the European qualification places, Sturm are safely in second, having won six of their eight group games.

FC Red Bull Salzburg 4-0 RZ Pellets WAC

Double winners Salzburg ran out comfortable victors at the Red Bull Arena, scoring three times before the break to leave WAC without a chance. Luka Sucic stood up a cross for Karim Adeyemi to expertly head home after just two minutes, and it was an uphill struggle from there on out for the guests. All of Sucic’s four league assists have come against Wolfsberg, and the goal was the first that the highly-rated Adeyemi has scored with his head. Some quick and accurate combination play set the scorer away down the left, and he turned assist-provider as he squared the ball to Junior Adamu, who tapped home his seventh of the campaign after 31 minutes. Adeyemi then got his brace, after some neat footwork in the box freed him up to fire in his 19th Bundesliga goal of the season, extending his lead in the race for Austria’s Golden Boot. Rasmus Kristensen blazed a penalty over the bar after WAC’s Eliel Peretz was sent off, but in the second half Salzburg found a fourth anyway; Oumar Solet smashing home a loose ball for his first ever Bundesliga goal. Michael Liendl was unable to celebrate a special occasion, as he made his 300th Bundesliga appearance, but his side were well beaten and remain fifth, albeit only three points adrift of third.

FK Austria Vienna 1-1 SK Rapid Vienna

The 336th Vienna Derby continued its odd recent tradition of draws, as the city rivals played out a fourth 1-1 in succession, and a seventh draw in a row overall in Sunday’s late game. No other Bundesliga fixture has ever seen so many draws consecutively! In a first half with several stoppages and very few goal scoring chances, Bernhard Zimmermann managed to break the deadlock and put Rapid ahead after 37 minutes. He’s scored five league goals since his debut in late February, only Salzburg’s Luka Sucic has been more prolific in that time. The away side started to look more comfortable after the interval, but a second yellow card meant that Zimmermann went from hero to zero, and with his team reduced to ten men, Austria fought back. Markus Suttner passed across goal to Noah Ohio, and he converted the chance to make it 1-1. That was Suttner’s fifth assist, and Ohio’s fourth goal of the campaign. Dominik Fitz went close for Austria, as they pressed forward in search of a winner, but alas it was destined for another 1-1 draw, leaving Rapid in third, two points ahead of Austria in the chase for next season’s European qualifying places.