Third straight win

LIVE: Goal! GAK takes the lead again against BW Linz

The GAK players celebrated their third consecutive victory.(Bild: APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

GAK’s winning streak continues even against bottom-of-the-table Blau-Weiß Linz. The Graz team wins 2-1 at home and now finds itself in second place in the lower playoff bracket—just one point behind SV Ried.

On Saturday, GAK took a major step toward securing their place in the Bundesliga. The Graz side celebrated a 2-1 home victory against FC Blau-Weiß Linz thanks to goals from Alexander Hofleitner (40th minute, penalty) and Ramiz Harakate (79th minute), while Ronivaldo scored for Linz (62nd minute). As the new second-place team in the qualification group, GAK now leads the bottom-placed team from Upper Austria by nine points. Linz trails second-to-last WAC by four points.

Third Win in a Row
While Blau-Weiß managed only one win in their last six matches, GAK secured their third consecutive victory—a result that was already taking shape early on. The hosts took control from the start against a deep-lying opponent and first threatened the goal with headers from Hofleitner (15th) and Mathias Olesen (21st) that narrowly missed the target.

(Bild: APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

Deserved lead for GAK
 GAKtook a deservedleadjust minutes before halftime, though it came about somewhat fortuitously. Linz’s Alem Pasic stumbled while attempting to defend a cross from Harakate and the ball struck his arm. After reviewing the VAR footage, referee Markus Hameter awarded a penalty, which Hofleitner converted confidently.

Blau-Weiß more offensive after the break
Blau-Weiß coach Michael Köllner brought on Ronivaldo and Simon Pirkl at halftime; his team became significantly more offensive and equalized thanks to a combination play by the two “super subs.” Pirkl crossed into the middle, and Ronivaldo was on hand from close range in true goal-scorer fashion.

What followed was an open game with chances in the penalty area on both sides, and the home team landed the lucky punch. Harakate took a shot from the 18-yard box; his shot was deflected by Manuel Maranda, making it unstoppable for Blau-Weiß goalkeeper Nico Mantl. The goal scorer was subsequently shown a yellow card for provocative celebration in front of the visitors’ section and became so agitated afterward that he narrowly avoided a second yellow.

Bundesliga (Round 25) – Qualification Group (Round 3):

GAK – FC Blau Weiß Linz 2:1 (1:0). 
Graz, Merkur Arena, Referee Hameter

Goals: 1-0 (40.) Hofleitner (handball penalty) 1-1 (62.) Ronivaldo 2-1 (79.) Harakate

GAK: Stolz – Owusu, Pines, Vraa – Italiano (88. Kreuzriegler), Schriebl (61. Koch), Olesen, Lichtenberger (72. Satin), Klassen (88. Frieser) – Harakate, Hofleitner (72. Grosse)

Blau-Weiß: Mantl – Pasic, Maranda, Varesi-Strauss – Reiter, Briedl, Cvetko (46. Ronivaldo), Bumberger (46. Pirkl) – S. Seidl (73. Fofana), Weissman, Maier (83. Joao Luiz)

Yellow cards: Hofleitner, Harakate and Weissman, Pasic

Post-match comments:
Ferdinand Feldhofer (GAK coach): “I’m very relieved, though also a bit drained. The game took a lot out of us because not everything went as smoothly as we’d hoped. This match carried a bit more weight than the previous ones, but in the playoffs, things can change quickly. I’ll talk to Harakate about his goal celebration. He doesn’t need to do that—I don’t approve of it at all, and he doesn’t need to do it either. We want to wrap this up now, until relegation is mathematically impossible, but today was a bigger step than in the previous matches.”

Michael Köllner (Blau-Weiß Linz coach): “It was clear from the start that it would be a tough battle for us in the relegation fight. Unfortunately, we missed our chance to make it 2-1, and then we conceded a goal from a deflected shot. We should have been more clinical. We’ll need wins, but I’m absolutely convinced that we’ll pull it off.”