In the relegation battle

Crucial win for WAC! Altach’s fate hangs in the balance again

An important win for Wolfsberger AC and another bitter setback for Altach.(Bild: GEPA)

Wolfsberger AC secured an important 4-1 victory in Altach. The Carinthians turned the game around after falling behind early and can now hand the bottom spot back to Blau-Weiß Linz. For Cup finalist Altach, however, the defeat means they are once again in the thick of the relegation battle. 

WAC has climbed out of the relegation zone in the Austrian Bundesliga with two rounds remaining. To cap off the 8th round of the qualification group, the Carinthians secured their second consecutive victory with a 4-1 (2-1) win at Cup finalist SCR Altach, passing the “red lantern” on to Blau-Weiß Linz. Wolfsberger now have two more points and are just one point behind Altach, WSG Tirol, and GAK, who cannot yet be certain of their safety in the relegation battle.

After Altach—who had lost 2-4 to LASK in extra time in Friday’s Cup final—took the lead through Srdjan Hrstic (10th minute), mistakes by goalkeeper Dejan Stojanovic brought the visitors back into the game. Dominik Baumgartner (28th minute) and Rene Renner (32nd minute, free kick) capitalized. After the break, Angelo Gattermayer (70th) and Simon Piesinger (77th) sealed the deal. This marked the team’s first away win in a long time, following nine consecutive away losses and their last away victory—a 3-1 win at Sturm Graz on October 26, 2025.

WAC starting lineup unchanged
Altach coach Ognjen Zaric made only one change from the lineup that lost the Cup final. The injured attacking ace Patrick Greil started on the bench, with Ousmane Diawara given a chance up front instead. WAC coach Thomas Silberberger stuck with the starting lineup that had recently secured his first win—a 1-0 victory over GAK in his fourth game in charge. However, in front of just over 5,000 spectators, that lineup was in for a rude awakening this time.

Mike Bähre won the ball in a tackle and quickly played it up front to Hrstic, who was able to cut into the penalty area, was not challenged by Baumgartner, and scored from just inside the box via the inside post. The next setback was the loss of striker Jessic Ngankam due to a muscle injury in his right thigh. Markus Pink was therefore already on the field by the 23rd minute and experienced the turnaround firsthand. The equalizer came courtesy of a gift from Altach. Stojanovic deflected a seemingly harmless Baumgartner header off a Wohlmuth cross into his own net.

Stojanovic remained sidelined at halftime
Four minutes later, things got even worse. Renner curled a left-footed free kick past the poorly positioned wall and into the net for a 1-2 lead. It is unclear to what extent the goalkeeper was already feeling unwell at that point; in any case, as the club reported, he remained in the locker room at halftime due to dizziness and nausea and was replaced by Daniel Antosch. For WAC, the injured Baumgartner was substituted; like Marco Sulzner, he will have to sit out the next game due to his fifth yellow card.

(Bild: Kronen Zeitung)

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The second half was marked by a lot of fighting spirit and few standout moments. Altach missed a golden opportunity to equalize when Hrstic, perfectly set up by Ouedraogo, lobbed the ball not only over Nikolas Polster but also over the goal (64'). Wolfsberg were more efficient and sealed the deal. Since Lukas Jäger misjudged the ball, Gattermayer was able to set it up for himself from the side and blast it in. After an Avdijaj corner, Piesinger headed in another goal, and Antosch didn’t look good on the play. After just one draw in their three previous season matchups with Altach, WAC took all three points this time. This was their fourth win in their fifth game under Silberberger.

On Saturday, his team travels to face league leaders Ried, Altach visits GAK, and BW Linz takes on WSG Tirol.