The Violets Got a Real Beating

LIVE: 3-0 after 13 minutes! LASK dismantles Austria

The Linz players celebrating after their 4-1 victory over Austria Vienna …(Bild: APA/EXPA)

LASK has made a strong comeback in the Bundesliga title race with a convincing 4-1 home win over Austria Vienna!

On Easter Sunday, 12,849 spectators in Linz were treated to a wild opening phase with four goals and an Austria red card in the first 16 minutes. On their way to their first victory in this year’s championship group, the Athletiker got off to a dream start with goals from Keba Cisse (4th), Kasper Jörgensen (12th), and Moses Usor (13th).

The Viennese, who were down to ten men early on after Tin Plavotic was sent off (11th min), pulled one back through Lee Tae-seok (16th min). ÖFB national team striker Sasa Kalajdzic sealed the final score as early as the 32nd minute, as the Upper Austrians squandered their chances in the second half.

Fast-paced start
There had been much talk beforehand about Linz’s weakness on set pieces. However, after a quickly taken corner in the 4th minute, the Austria defense appeared disorganized. Cisse headed in unmarked following a cross from Usor. The tone was set—and the game became one-sided early on. Plavotic was shown a red card following a VAR review for a clumsy handball on the edge of the penalty area. The towering center back had only just returned from a yellow-red card suspension. Jörgensen artfully buried the resulting free kick to make it 2-0.

The visitors were reeling after the disastrous start and were punished again after losing possession in midfield. A deflected shot by returnee Sascha Horvath landed at the feet of Usor, who slotted it home from close range. According to Sky, Austria had never before conceded three goals in the first quarter-hour in their league history. Just three minutes later, the ball found the back of the LASK net as well: Kalajdzic headed a free kick into the center, where Lee Tae-seok simply fired it in from 20 meters out.

LASK Spares Austria
 Austriasubsequently tried to limit the damage with a hard-nosed approach and fast breaks. But LASK remained relentless. Melayro Bogarde was able to cross unchallenged and found the head of powerhouse striker Kalajdzic—4:1. The second half turned into a showcase for Linz against a deep-defending Austria side, which nevertheless couldn’t avoid conceding several clear scoring opportunities. The Athletiker squandered chance after chance. Kalajdzic, in fine form, hit the crossbar twice—once with a header (51’) and once with a close-range shot (58’).

(Bild: GEPA)

After that, substitutions began and players were rested. LASK faces a challenge in Salzburg as early as Friday. The team will enter the big match with renewed confidence after previously securing just one win in six rounds. For Austria, however, the 2-5 loss marked another painful defeat following their opening match in the Champions Group. In between, there was a 1-0 win in Hartberg. For the Violets, the next matches are the home derby against Rapid and a doubleheader against Salzburg.

The result:
LASK – FK Austria Vienna (4–1)
Linz, Raiffeisen Arena, 12,849 spectators, Referee Semler

Goals: 1-0 (4') Cissé, 2-0 (12') Jørgensen, 3-0 (13') Usor, 3-1 (16') Tae-seok Lee, 4-1 (32') Kalajdžić

Red card: Plavotic (11th min./professional foul)

Yellow cards: none

LASK: Jungwirth – Cissé, Tornich, Andrade (86. Mbuyamba) – Jørgensen (78. Flecker), Coulibaly, Horvath (86. Lang), Bogarde – Usor (71. Kacavenda) – Kalajdžić, Adeniran (78. Entrup)
Austria: Sahin-Radlinger – Wiesinger (61. Radonjic), Dragovic (71. Schablas), Plavotic – Ranftl, Lee K., Maybach (61. Markovic), Lee T. – Fischer (72. Saljic), Barry – Eggestein (85. Boateng)