A Thrilling Showdown

LIVE: Austria ties the game again against GAK!

There was no winner in the match between GAK and FK Austria Vienna …(Bild: GEPA)

Austria Vienna and GAK both missed out on their second consecutive win in the Austrian Bundesliga ahead of the three-week international break!

The two storied clubs played to a 2-2 draw on Saturday in Graz, with the hosts letting a lead slip away twice. They sit in sixth place for now with eight points after seven rounds, while eighth-place Favoriten have one point fewer. Coach Stephan Helm is therefore likely in for some tough weeks ahead…

Alexander Hofleitner (15th minute) and Jacob Italiano (55th minute)—making his comeback in the starting lineup after recovering from injury—sparked wild celebrations at the Graz-Liebenau Stadium in front of 7,524 spectators with early goals before and after halftime. However, Manfred Fischer (45th) and Lee Kang-hee (81st) saved the visitors from their fifth loss of the season with late goals of their own. The Graz team remains undefeated under new coach Gerald Scheiblehner, having earned five points in three games. On October 10, GAK will host former serial champion Salzburg, while Austria will host Sturm Graz.

GAK Off to a Perfect Start
The first half offered fans plenty of intensity, with the Styrians holding the advantage by winning 69 percent of their tackles before halftime. On top of that, they got off to a perfect start. Hofleitner spun and fired a shot from the edge of the penalty area, hitting the inside post to score his third goal of the season. Otherwise, the Viennese had a slight edge in chances. Johannes Handl headed wide (19th minute), Kelvin Boateng nudged the ball into the hands of GAK goalkeeper Cican Stankovic from a promising position (20th minute), and a Buhari header was too central (28th minute).

It wasn’t until shortly before halftime that the much-needed equalizer came. Boateng laid the ball back to Fischer in the penalty area; Fischer controlled it and fired it into the corner. The Graz side also got off to the better start after the break. Just a few moments later, a long-range shot by Michorl went wide (46th minute), but the second chance led to a goal: Italiano controlled a cross from Lichtenberger and finished from four meters out.

The Viennese tried to respond, but it wasn’t until the final quarter of an hour that the action became truly dramatic once again. Aleksandar Dragovic headed a free-kick cross on to Lee Kang-hee, whose first-time shot at the far post was unstoppable for Stankovic. The Graz team quickly shook off the shock and pressed hard for the winning goal. Michael Sollbauer (85th minute) and Anthony Smits (87th minute) were unable to convert their “match-winning chances.”

The result:
GAK – FK Austria Vienna 2–2 (1–1)
Graz, Merkur Arena, 7,524 spectators, Referee Arnes Talic

Goals: 1–0 (15') Hofleitner, 1–1 (45') Fischer, 2–1 (55') Italiano, 2–2 (81') Kang-Hee Lee

Yellow cards: Hofleitner, Klassen, Oberleitner, Michorl, Sollbauer; Ranftl, Handl, Wustinger

GAK: Stankovic – Owusu, Sollbauer, Oberleitner – Klassen (70' Gragger), Michorl, Cvetko, Italiano (79' P. Markovic) – Hofleitner (83' Maderner), Grosse, Lichtenberger (79' Smits)
Austria: Radlinger – Handl (79. Wustinger), Dragovic, Buhari – Ranftl, Fischer, Müller (79. Lee K.), V. Markovic (70' Saljic), Lee T. (70' Schablas) – Boateng (61' Hettwer), Eggestein