LASK turns the game against Lustenau: final score 1:3

2023-12-09 18:02:00

Third-placed team defeated Austria Lustenau in Bregenz with 3:1 (0:1). An own goal from Kennedy Boateng (62′) as well as goals from Moses Usor (72′) and Ivan Ljubicic (91′) turned the game around after Lustenau’s lead through Yadaly Diaby (38′). The Vorarlbergers are currently five points behind the penultimate WSG Tirol, and the LASK are still seven points behind the leader Salzburg.

Lustenau ended the autumn season in the Bundesliga without a single point from a home game. Nothing changed in the first game in the alternative stadium in Bregenz in front of 3,072 spectators. The Lustenauers have all gotten their three previous points away from home. They were the first Bundesliga team since Vorwärts Steyr in 1995 not to win before the winter break.

The LASK arrived severely decimated. Several sick actors, Rene Renner, Peter Michorl, Sascha Horvath and Lenny Pintor, were unavailable. There was also Ivan Ljubic, who had become a father. Captain Robert Zulj returned for this. Nicolai Baden Frederiksen, who was brought in as a one-striker in the summer by the Lustenauers, wasn’t even in the squad after recent poor performances.

The people of Linz set the first tone. Domenik Schierl had to use all his qualities in the 7th minute to defuse a quadruple chance. After a cross pass from George Bello, the Lustenau goalie parried against Zulj. Moussa Kone couldn’t get the follow-up shot past Darijo Grujcic. Schierl was also there twice against Florian Flecker. In the early stages he was lucky to save against Usor (2nd).

The LASK controlled the game in constant rain and very good pitch conditions, but it wasn’t compelling enough. Lustenau knocked for the first time through captain Pius Graber (35th). Three minutes later, Yadaly Diaby entered the penalty area relatively unchallenged and delicately sank the ball into the far corner of the cross. After the break, LASK goalie Tobias Lawal saved a shot from Anthony Schmid (56th). On the other side, a Zulj volley hit the outside bar (57th).

The equalizer came after a standard situation. A free kick cross from Thomas Goiginger brought Filip Stojkovic from the second post to the middle. Boateng could no longer avoid it and maneuvered the ball into his own goal with his chest. LASK followed up. Schierl defused a Goiginger shot from the edge of the penalty area (71′), but he was powerless to catch the following lob from Usor, who was brilliantly used by Zulj. In the finish, Ljubicic made the decision from close range after a cross pass from Goiginger.

Despite an improvement in performance, it was the seventh competitive defeat in a row for the Lustenau team, the third under sports coordinator Alexander Schneider, who was appointed as interim coach. There was only one point from the most recent 14 league games. While the Vorarlbergers are looking for a new coach during the winter break, LASK will face Toulouse in the Europa League at the end of the year on Thursday. The Linzers need a win against the French to keep their chance of a European winter alive.