LASK Still Winless

LIVE starting at 2:30 p.m.: TSV Hartberg vs. Champions LASK

Hartberg came back from a 1–3 deficit against LASK.(Bild: GEPA)

Another winless outing for LASK! The reigning champions squandered a 3-1 lead in Hartberg and had to settle for a 3-3 draw. Following defeats against Sturm Graz and AEK Athens, Kühbauer’s squad has now gone three games in a row without a win.

Following the 1-2 loss at Sturm Graz and their first drop in points at the national level, champions LASK showed signs of weakness once again. At TSV Hartberg on Sunday, the Linz team had to settle for a 3–3 draw despite holding 2–0 and 3–1 leads and now find themselves two points behind league-leading Rapid in the standings. Goals by Sascha Horvath (7th min.), Christoph Lang (30th min.), and Andres Andrade (58th min.) weren’t enough for the visitors, who dominated for long stretches, as Hartberg shone with determination and efficiency.

The Styrians celebrated in the seventh round of the Bundesliga with goals from the two “super subs” Andrija Radulovic (46th, 72nd) and Jed Drew (79th), and are now unbeaten in four league games. In the standings, the East Styrian side—which had started the season with three losses—remains in the middle of the pack.

A dominant LASK celebrated after long-range shotsb
 Hartberg opted for a slightly more defensive approach than in their recent 2-2 draw against WSG Tirol, with Habib Coulibaly replacing Youba Diarra. LASK made two changes following their scoreless draw in Graz: Florian Flecker took over the right wing in place of the injured Kasper Jörgensen, while Robert Ljubicic started in central midfield instead of Krystof Danek.

The visitors set the pace and took the lead on a well-placed long-range shot by captain Horvath from 25 meters into the far corner. Hartberg tried in vain to create chances with long balls to forwards Angelo Gattermayer and Marco Hoffmann, while LASK pressed for a 2-0 lead. Goalie Armin Pecsi initially prevented that with a strong save against Moses Usor (25th minute), but he was beaten shortly afterward. Lang capped off a give-and-go with Horvath with a powerful, low shot from 20 meters.

TSV surprised everyone with goals out of nowhere
Hartberg continued to offer almost nothing offensively; they didn’t manage a single shot on goal before halftime. That was set to change quickly after the break—just 50 seconds after the restart, Radulovic celebrated the goal that cut the deficit. The play was set up by Drew—who had also come on as a substitute at halftime—after a good ball recovery. LASK remained in the driver’s seat, however, and restored their previous lead thanks to Andrade.

Subsequently, Flecker (65') and Ljubicic—with a huge chance from close range (71')—failed to seal the deal. Radulovic capitalized on this carelessness. After a misplaced pass by Melayro Bogarde, the Rapid loanee made it 2–3 on his TSV debut, reigniting the tension. LASK, however, did not respond with further chances but instead with another defensive lapse. Drew ultimately capitalized on this, scoring the equalizer and the final goal after a pass from Radulovic.

Bundesliga (Round 7):

TSV Hartberg – LASK 3–3 (0–2) 
Hartberg, Profertil Arena, Referee: Barmaksiz.

Goals: 0–1 (7') Horvath, 0–2 (30') Lang, 1–2 (46') Radulovic, 1–3 (58') Andrade, 2–3 (72') Radulovic, 3–3 (79') Drew

Hartberg: Pecsi – Wilfinger, Komposch, Schopp, Coulibaly, Dalpiaz – Kainz (68' Diarra), Lukic (46' Radulovic), Markus – Gattermayer (46' Drew), Hoffmann (89' Korherr)

LASK: Jungwirth – Mbuyamba, Tornich (68. Schöpf), Andrade – Flecker, Bogarde (83. Danek), Ljubicic, Horvath (68. Adeniran), Bello – Usor (46. Kalajdzic), Lang (68. Freckleton)

Yellow cards: Kainz, Radulovic, Wilfinger; none