Goal-hungry Vikings

LIVE NOW: SV Ried Hosts WAC

Disappointed faces among the WAC players, wild celebrations among the Ried Vikings …(Bild: GEPA)

What a dominant performance by the Vikings: SV Ried won their match against Wolfsberger AC 4-1 in the 7th round of the Austrian Bundesliga!

Thanks to goals from Ante Bajic (3rd min.), Evan Eghosa Aisowieren (9th min.), Stefan Schwab (40th min./penalty), and Isaac Kiese Thelin (81st min.), Ried moved up to seventh place in the standings. The Carinthians—2025 Cup champions—suffered their third straight league loss; they have now gone six rounds without a win and, with a two-point lead over bottom-ranked Altach, are second-to-last.

For WAC, veteran Markus Pink started as the second striker alongside Phillip Verhounig, and defender Raffael Behounek returned to the lineup after recovering from an ankle injury. Ried coach Mario Despotovic opted for Aisowieren and Jaedin Rhodes in the starting lineup up front in place of center forward Pape Sissoko and the ailing Jussef Nasrawe.

Ried’s Smart Play
Both players played a decisive role in the early goals. First, WAC goalie Lukas Gütlbauer came out unsuccessfully to meet a pinpoint cross from Rhodes, leaving Bajic with nothing to do but head the ball into the far corner. Shortly afterward, Philipp Pomer found Aisowieren completely unmarked in the penalty area, and he nodded the ball in for a 2-0 lead. The ÖFB youth striker had another great chance but was denied by Gütlbauer (12th minute).

The WAC defense appeared disoriented on several occasions. Ried’s Martin Rasner hit the post; on the ensuing rebound, Schwab kept his cool and laid the ball across to Bajic. Gütlbauer parried Bajic’s close-range shot (28th minute). Shortly before halftime, Wolfsberg’s goalkeeper made contact with Rhodes as he broke through the penalty area; Schwab confidently converted the resulting penalty kick.

The Carinthians failed to capitalize on their own chances before halftime. Ried goalkeeper Andreas Leitner was there to make the save on a double chance by Otar Mamageishvili and Verhounig (13th minute). A header by Simon Piesinger narrowly missed the goal (43'), and Pink failed to connect properly with the ball in the penalty area (45'+2).

First goal for Kiese Thelin
WAC coach Thomas Silberberger responded at halftime with a triple substitution, bringing on, among others, former Hartberg player Donis Avdijaj. Little changed in the flow of the game: WAC had more possession, but Ried was more dangerous. Substitute Joris Boguo squandered several chances to make it 4–0. The 18-year-old first hit the right post (67'), then failed to beat Gütlbauer in a one-on-one situation (76'). At the other end, Rene Renner’s volley hit only the side netting (72').

For Ried, former Swedish national team striker Kiese Thelin made his debut midway through the second half—and it took him just twelve minutes to score his first goal. After a pass from the outside of the foot by Bajic, the 34-year-old skillfully chipped the ball past Gütlbauer and slotted it into the empty net. For WAC, Matteo Kitz scored a header off a corner kick by Avdijaj late in the game, but it was merely a consolation goal (88th minute).

Wolfsberg failed to secure the much-needed breakthrough they were hoping for ahead of the three-week international break. Last week, they suffered a 0–3 home loss to Rapid, and before that, a 1–3 defeat to LASK. Ried had recently shown their form with a 1-1 draw at home against Salzburg. The Innviertler have earned seven points from their last three home games. Of their past 18 league matches at home, they have won no fewer than twelve…

The result:
SV Ried – Wolfsberger AC 4–1 (3–0)
Ried, BWT Upper Austrian Arena, 3,864 spectators, Referee Alexander Harkam

Goals: 1–0 (3') Bajic, 2–0 (9') Aisowieren, 3–0 (40'/penalty) Schwab, 4–0 (81') Thelin, 4–1 (88') Kitz

Yellow cards: Schwab, Steurer, Kiese, Thelin; Gütlbauer, Fitz, Kitz, Piesinger

Ried: Leitner – Radonjic, Chukwudi, Steurer – Rasner (83' Malicsek), Maart, Schwab (69' Lund Jensen), Pomer – Bajic (83' Sissoko), Aisowieren (69. Kiese Thelin), Rhodes (55. Boguo)
WAC: Gütlbauer – Behounek (46' Avdijaj), Piesinger, Kitz – Wohlmuth, O. Mamageishvili (46' Agyemang), Sulzner (87' Schriebl), Fitz (71' Karamoko), Renner – Verhounig, Pink (46' Hassler)