After the bitter 0:2 in Tyrol and the failed debut of neo-head coach Christian Heinle, the Innviertler only have three points air to the relegation zone, with the Südstadters it is four after the first defeat in the sixth game of the qualifying group. The two teams meet on Tuesday and should there be a loser it could be difficult for them, especially if Altach wins.
However, the upward trend in Vorarlberg ended in Pasching. After five games without defeat and nine points, the small winning streak came to an end. “There are days like that,” said coach Ludovic Magnin, whose squad started the second phase of the season with ten clean sheets in a row. The supposed turning point might not have been enough. “It’s a tough mental blow, but the team has been mentally strong for weeks. We won’t fall over because everything went against us today,” said the Swiss with an optimistic view of the future.
LASK celebrates home win against Altach
With a 2-1 home win over Cashpoint SCR Altach, LASK has come closer to its goal of seventh place. On Saturday against the new tail light, Linz came on the road to victory after red for Mickael Nanizayamo.
Necessary victory in “this devil’s league”
Hartberg, on the other hand, was able to look forward to a liberation. In the sixth game for his new employer, Klaus Schmidt got three points for the first time, a rare feeling for the club, since the last time they had won in the league was on November 28, 2021. “The win was absolutely necessary in this devil’s league to keep going,” emphasized Schmidt. But he was not only important because of the points. “Above all, it was extremely important mentally.”
This also made the 2-1 home defeat against the southern townspeople forgotten. “We sat down on Monday and talked plainly. Apparently that had an effect. I’m proud of the team,” said the Styrian. There is no time to celebrate as the next ‘final’ is imminent, with Joseph Ganda missing from a concussion after colliding in his head. “It was a step in the right direction, but nothing has been won in the relegation battle. We’re a long way from ‘safe’,” warned Schmidt.
Admira gambles away a good starting position
For him there were also special points because he had gotten them in the stadium of his ex-club, which had not given him a new contract in 2021 despite the short-term relegation mission. Andreas Herzog had been preferred to him. The ÖFB record team player also has to deal more with the relegation issue again. “We ruined our good starting position a bit again,” said the Admira coach.
Hartberg escapes from the table cellar
TSV Hartberg has escaped from the bottom of the table in the Admiral Bundesliga. After eleven games without a win at FC Admira, the Styrians deservedly won 3-1 on Saturday and gave up the red lantern to SCR Altach.
Also thanks to gifts distributed as before the 0: 2, there was once again nothing to get for the home side in their own stadium. “We didn’t put our quality on the pitch and made a lot of mistakes. We suffered a bitter setback that we now have to eradicate in Ried,” said the 53-year-old. But Rieder are also looking for reparations and want to write for the first time at the second attempt after the end of Robert Ibertsberger’s term in office.
Anyone who had hoped for a quick dividend from the change of coach was bitterly disappointed. “We’re a bit lacking in self-evidence, that’s due to the last few laps. We’ll see that we bring in a positive mood so that we can get the team going,” said neo-head coach Heinle, who wants to whip his team into shape for the home match against Admira. “We will make sure that we eliminate the mistakes and gain security through the training sessions. And then we would be well advised to score points quickly,” said the 37-year-old.
WSG and LASK on par before the duel
On the other hand, after the six points in the two games against the Innviertler WSG coach Thomas Silberberger, he has a good laugh. His side are now level with qualifying group leaders LASK, both on 21 points and set to meet in Innsbruck on Tuesday. “At LASK we still have a score to settle,” said the Watten coach, referring to the previous three defeats of the season (including the cup) in a draw.
WSG Tirol double against Ried
WSG Tirol also won the second duel against SV Guntamatic Ried within a week in the qualification group of the Admiral Bundesliga on Saturday and gave Ried’s neo-coach Christian Heinle a defeat. The Watteners prevailed 2-0 and took a big step towards relegation.
In the league there was a 0:6 slap. At that time you were “relegation candidate number one. Five games later we got the most of any team in the qualifying round with ten points. But we’re far from done,” said Silberberger. In the same way, one can dream of the European Cup, which can still be achieved with first place in the “lower play-off”. The clear favorite for this is LASK, who heaved himself back to the place in the sun.
It was a return without brilliance, only the red card for Altach’s defender Mickael Nanizayamo put Linz on the road to victory after a difficult start – the goals that soon followed from Sascha Horvath (42’/penalty) and Keito Nakamura (43′) provided the first second three in the qualifying group. “The three points were immensely important for the mind, now we’ve gotten some breathing room,” says director Peter Michorl. No wonder, since the Upper Austrians would have been only one point away from last place if they lost.