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A breath of fresh air! GAK steamrolls a toothless Tyrolean side

GAK showed no mercy against WSG Tirol!(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

A bitter Saturday for WSG Tirol! They suffered a 1-5 thrashing against GAK, marking yet another setback in the relegation group. For the Graz side, however, it was a crucial breakthrough in their fight against relegation. 

GAK has taken another step toward securing its place in the Bundesliga. The Styrians defeated WSG Tirol 5-1 in Innsbruck on Saturday, winning their second match in the qualifying group and moving up from second-to-last to third place. The Tyroleans, now in fourth place one point behind, have only a five-point cushion over bottom-placed Blau-Weiß Linz following their second consecutive defeat.

Jacob Italiano(Bild: GEPA)

The Graz side overcame an early deficit at Tivoli Stadion Tirol thanks to Nikolai Baden Frederiksen’s eighth goal of the season (19th minute). Jacob Italiano, with a hat trick that included some impressive goals (23rd, 65th, 85th/penalty), and Ramiz Harakate, with his eighth (39th) and ninth (58th/penalty) goals of the season, secured the well-deserved comeback. Coach Ferdinand Feldhofer’s squad thus impressively avenged their 0-2 loss at the same venue two weeks ago at the end of the regular season. The two teams had previously drawn 1-1 in Graz.

GAK Coach Kept Starting Lineup Unchanged
Feldhofer placed his trust in the same starting eleven that had also opened the 2-0 home win against WAC. For the Tyroleans, there was only one change following the 1-2 loss to promoted side Ried: David Kubatta, who had been suspended, returned to the three-man defensive line. Coach Phillip Semlic took no risks with Matthäus Taferner and David Gugganig; they will return to action after the international break.

As expected, the fans were treated to a physically intense match, but somewhat surprisingly, the action also swung back and forth briskly. After WSG’s first chance through Ademola Ola-Adebomi (10th minute), it was Harakate on the other end who missed (13th minute). The match continued in this rhythm for the time being, with the home side taking the lead. Baden Frederiksen took a left-footed shot from about 25 meters and scored. GAK goalkeeper Franz Stolz didn’t look good. Almost immediately after, Harakate ran toward Adam Stejskal but was denied by the Tyrolean goalkeeper (20th minute).

Italiano with a superb shot
Italiano did better in front of goal; his spectacular drop kick, following a headed clearance just outside the box, found the corner. The Graz side remained bold, pressuring the opponent early and dominating the action. Their reward came after a perfect counterattack featuring a deep pass from Mathias Olesen to Leon Klassen, who then played the ball back to Harakate for the second goal. Klassen (44th) and Alexander Hofleitner (45th, 45+1) missed further good opportunities.

The visitors carried this momentum into the second half, where a VAR review sealed the final outcome. Following a foul by Johannes Naschberger on Thorsten Schriebl, a penalty was rightly awarded, which Harakate confidently converted. Italiano also became a multiple-goal scorer; his finish resembled the first, only this time it was a volley from about 20 meters out, making it even more impressive. Hofleitner hit the post (69th). The visitors still managed to score once more. After a handball by Jamie Lawrence, another penalty was awarded, which Italiano coolly converted.