Rheindörfler dominates

3-1! Altach leaves nothing to chance against BW Linz

Long faces at FC Blau-Weiß Linz, relief and joy among the Altach players …(Bild: GEPA)

SCR Altach successfully defended its top spot in the opening match of the Bundesliga qualifying group and deepened the relegation woes of bottom-ranked Blau-Weiß Linz!

Thanks to goals from Srdjan Hrstic (41'), Mohamed Ouedraogo (71st), and Manuel Maranda (86th/own goal), the Vorarlberg side defeated the Upper Austrians 3-1 (1-0) on Saturday in the 23rd round and now lead the table, level on points with SV Ried and two points ahead of WSG Tirol.

While Altach coach Ognjen Zaric celebrated his third win in six league games with the Rheindörflern, Blau-Weiß suffered another setback a week after the 1-1 draw against Hartberg and their fourth loss in six games under new coach Michael Köllner. Ronivaldo’s goal (90th minute) came too late. Because GAK defeated WAC 2-0 in a parallel match, the gap between the Linz team and the Red Jackets widened to six points.

In the rain over the “Ländle,” 3,729 spectators witnessed a cautious match in which good scoring chances were correspondingly rare. Right at the start, Altach goalkeeper Dejan Stojanovic had to make a save on a good free kick by Simon Seidl (2nd minute); it was the visitors’ best spell. As the match progressed, Altach got into the game better, recorded more possession, and were rewarded with the lead shortly before halftime following an assist by Sandro Ingolitsch and a finish by Hrstic.

Briedl missed a “sure thing”
Spurred on by this, the Linz team came out of the locker room with a lot of energy but failed to convert it into a goal. Alexander Briedl squandered the “sure-fire chance,” shooting straight at Stojanovic from 11 meters out (56th minute). Altach weathered the onslaught and sealed the deal a quiet 15 minutes later. Ouedraogo was criminally left unmarked following a corner kick by Patrick Greil and headed the ball in with ease.

In the closing minutes, Maranda and Linz goalkeeper Nico Mantl both made mistakes. On the wet pitch, the keeper let a cross—slightly deflected by one of his teammates—slip through his legs. The fact that substitute Ronivaldo scored at the start of stoppage time was merely cosmetic.

The result:
SCR Altach – FC Blau-Weiß Linz 3:1 (1:0)
Altach, Schnabelholz Stadium, 3,729 spectators, Referee Pfister

Goals: 1-0 (41.) Srđan Hrstić, 2-0 (71.) Mohamadi Ouedraogo, 3-0 (86./own goal) Maranda, 3-1 (92.) Ronivaldo

Yellow cards: Ouedraogo, Greil; Weissman, Mantl, Seidl, Bumberger

Altach: Stojanovic – Milojevic, L. Gugganig, Jäger – Ingolitsch (89. Benjamin), Demaku, Bähre, Ouedraogo – Massombo (83. Oswald), Hrstic (66. Diawara), Greil (83. Yalcin)
BW Linz: Mantl – Riegler, Maranda, Moormann – Dahlqvist (83. Reiter), Briedl, Cvetko (81. Conde), Bumberger (80. Pirkl) – S. Seidl (70. Ronivaldo), Weissman, Maier (81. Fofana)