2023-11-09 21:29:00
The LASK players threw their arms up in euphoria at the final whistle and were celebrated by their fans. With a top performance, they dispatched Saint-Gilloise 3-0 in the Europa League. What they didn’t know then later became a hindrance: Because Toulouse also won 3-2 once morest Liverpool, their chance of second place was practically gone.
To do this, LASK would have to score more points in the upcoming game in Liverpool than Toulouse did once morest Saint-Gilloise at the same time. But at least third place and thus the move to the intermediate round of the Europa Conference League remained within reach – following a game that was reminiscent of the really big black and white European Cup evenings in the recent past on the old Gugl. The game took some time to get going before Moses Usor developed a move to score.
Saint-Gilloise defense chief Christian Burgess threw himself into the Nigerian’s shot, referee Simone Sozza whistled a penalty (24′). While the video check was still going on, Robert Zulj handed the ball over to Sascha Horvath. The captain only missed his second penalty on Sunday once morest Sturm Graz (3-1). Horvath gave goalkeeper Anthony Moris no chance – 1-0 (25th).
Image: GEPA pictures
The hit released the handbrakes for both teams – and LASK picked up the pace. In the third attempt, Moses Usor converted following he was initially denied by Moris following a mistake by Burgess and Zulj’s follow-up shot was also saved. The goal did not count because of offside, the video referee Valerio Marini looked at Zulj’s finish and checked for another hand penalty – this time there was none. Marini’s video study meant three minutes of added time in the first half. That too was over when Maksym Talowjerow headed a corner from a corner to make it 2-0 (45th+4). Moses Usor had only rolled the ball away, and when Sascha Horvath’s cross came, Talowjerow prevailed in a header duel once morest Dennis Eckert-Ayensa. This week the Ukrainian was called up for the A team for the first time, and yesterday he scored his first competitive goal for LASK. As in Brussels, LASK lost control of the game following the break. As the athletes wobbled under pressure from Saint-Gilloise, their fans in the sold-out stadium stabilized them louder and louder – until a collective scream of joy relieved the tension: the header landed following a free kick by Philipp Ziereis on the crossbar, Zulj made it 3-0 (77th).
Direct duel for LASK
After the 2-1 defeat in Brussels, the athletes won the direct duel with Saint-Gilloise and would have been ahead of the Belgians if they had tied points. And although LASK won comfortably, they were unlucky once more in stoppage time: Liverpool’s goal to make it 3-3 in the 97th minute was disallowed. A draw in Toulouse would have given LASK a realistic chance of second place. But captain Robert Zulj didn’t care either. “It was a good game from us and dominant for long stretches. We tried to be aggressive at the back for 90 minutes. We succeeded. Now we’ll see that something can happen in Liverpool too.” Now it’s time for the derby once morest Blau-Weiß Linz on Sunday.
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Günther Mayrhofer
Sports editor
Günther Mayrhofer
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