ADMIRAL Bundesliga Matchday 21 Reviews

CASHPOINT SCR Altach 0-0 LASK

Struggling Altach held LASK to a goalless stalemate in what coach Joachim Standfest, who was watching from the stands after amassing five yellow cards, described as their best performance of the season to date. The Vorarlbergers had the best chance of the opening half when a move involving Christian Gebauer and Atdhe Nuhiu culminated in Lukas Fadinger firing wide of the mark from point-blank range. Another Nuhiu assist then created another excellent chance – this time for Paul-Friedich Koller, who dragged his shot wide of the back post. Altach continued to dominate after the interval but could not find the breakthrough, with Nuhiu heading Fadinger’s in-swinging cross just wide of the upright. LASK might have been the inferior side but they did at least secure their place in the Championship Round this season. Tenth-placed Altach, meanwhile, will be lamenting the poor chance conversion that cost them two points.

FC Blau Weiß Linz 1-2 FK Austria Wien

Austria Vienna picked up an invaluable three points away to Blau Weiß Linz as they sought to make amends for their clear defeat in the derby and gain ground on city rivals Rapid in the race for the top six. The Violets silenced the atmospheric Hofmann Personal Stadion after only four minutes: Hakim Guenouche raced forward and picked out the run of Dominik Fitz, who turned Manuel Maranda and struck the ball into the far bottom corner of the goal. Blau Weiß hit back on the 36-minute mark when Conor Noß fired inside the near post after being fed by Fabio Strauss, only for the Championship Round-chasing visitors to re-establish their lead on the stroke of half-time: Bayern loanee Frans Krätzig played a lovely one-two with Johannes Handl before teeing up Andreas Gruber, who finished like a true striker. The Linzers remain in ninth place on 19 points. Austria are now up to 30 points and only two adrift of Rapid; they must now beat WSG Tirol and hope other results go their way on the final day of the regular season.

SK Rapid 1-1 SC Austria Lustenau

Having tasted their first-ever derby victory at the Allianz Stadion last time out, Rapid faced their easiest match of the season on paper: a home game against Austria Lustenau, who had picked up only one victory all season. But the Green & Whites were held to a surprising draw by the league’s bottom club. After having centre-back Terence Kongolo sent off for a second bookable offence in the 33^rd minute, 10-man Rapid fell behind when Ben Bobzien coolly converted a long kick downfield from Lustenau goalie Domenik Schierl on 50 minutes. But then the Vorarlbergers had Pius Grabher sent off for blocking Matthias Seidl’s shot with his arm on the goal-line following a corner-kick. Rapid levelled from the spot via the reliable Marco Grüll but they could not get the winner that would have secured their top-six berth. That means Rapid’s race with Austria will go down to the wire but they have their fate in their own hands: they must beat Klagenfurt away or match their rivals’ result. Lustenau remain rooted to the foot of the table but will take heart from such a spirited performance.

FC Red Bull Salzburg 1-0 SK Austria Klagenfurt

Reigning champions Red Bull Salzburg edged their way past a resolute Klagenfurt and kept their noses narrowly in front of challengers Sturm Graz with a slender victory on the penultimate day of the regular season. The Red Bulls came closest to opening the lead before the break when left-back Aleksa Terzic’s lofted ball towards the back post was headed against the woodwork by centre-forward Petar Ratkov. Having failed to make the breakthrough, Salzburg coach Gerhard Struber brought on the attacking duo of Forson Amankwah and Karim Konaté, who broke the deadlock only 58 seconds after his introduction when he latched onto a failed clearance and tucked it away in the 73^rd minute. The goal took Konaté’s tally for the season to 10 – level with Klagenfurt’s Sinan Karweina at the top of the scoring charts. The result means fourth-placed Klagenfurt are not yet sure of their place in the Championship Round and will now take on Rapid, who are one point behind them, in a final-day showdown.

SK Puntigamer Sturm Graz 4-0 RZ Pellets WAC

Sturm Graz underlined their title credentials and stayed within two points of leaders Red Bull Salzburg courtesy of a victory over Wolfsberg, who are now condemned to a place in the Relegation Round. But it was not until midway through the second period that Christian Ilzer’s charges finally broke the deadlock, Mika Biereth heading home an Alexander Prass cross at the back stick. Sturm’s advantage was doubled within four minutes when goalscorer Biereth turned provider with a ball across the face of goal that was slotted home from close range by Manprit Sarkaria. Goals three and four came courtesy of centre-back pairing Dimitri Lavalée and David Affengruber in the final five minutes of the match: Lavalée headed home Jusuf Gazibegovic’s whipped-in free-kick on the 85-minute mark, before Affengruber then scored another header from a Tomi Horvat corner in the 89^th minute.

WSG Tirol 1-0 TSV Egger Glas Hartberg

Hartberg missed out on a wonderful opportunity to seal an unlikely berth in the Championship Round by losing away to lowly WSG Tirol. The decisive moment of the match arguably came in the 35^th minute when Hartberg forward Dominik Frieser raised his foot high in the air to bring down the ball but caught Thomas Geris dangerously and was shown a straight red card. Within 10 minutes, WSG Tirol had made advantage of their numerical superiority and taken the lead: a long throw into the box from Lukas Sulzbacher was flicked on into the path of Matthäus Taferner, who buried the ball in the bottom corner of the net. A mistake by Manuel Pfeifer in the 51^st minute allowed Sulzbacher clean through on goal, but he snatched at the opportunity and squandered it. Hartberg, however, could not make them pay for that profligacy and will go into Matchday 22 in fifth place on 33 points, knowing they must get a result against title-chasing Sturm Graz to be sure of their place in the Championship Round.

Redakteur: The Other Bundesliga

Fotos: GEPA pictures