2023-08-31 21:05:59
After a tough European Cup fight, LASK is in the group stage of the Europa League. At the Bosnian soccer champions Zrinjski Mostar, Linz secured promotion to the second-highest European competition on Thursday after the 2-1 first-leg win with a lackluster 1-1 (0-1) in the play-off second leg. After a year’s break, the Upper Austrians are back in a group phase and can look forward to an entry fee of EUR 3.63 million.
Zrinjski Mostar is the first Bosnian club to be in a group stage, but has to be content with the Conference League. The Bosnian record champions took the lead with a controversial penalty kick from striker Nemanja Bilbija (38th). However, Branko Jovicic scored the celebrated equalizer with a long-range shot using the inside post (52′).
This is the fourth time in the past five seasons that LASK has been able to prove itself in a European group. Which opponents await the team coached by Thomas Sageder will be decided on Friday (1 p.m.) in the draw in Monaco. Big names in European football such as Liverpool, AS Roma, West Ham United or Bayer Leverkusen, among others, are waiting. LASK is drawn from pot 2, runner-up Sturm Graz from pot 3.
Sageder trusted the same starting eleven as in the first leg and in the league win against Wiener Austria (2-0) on Sunday. The initial phase in Mostar’s Gradski Stadium was characterized by bad passes on both sides, and the 200 or so LASK fans who traveled with them saw a game on an equal footing. It lasted until the 16th minute when Florian Flecker missed a cross from Rene Renner in a promising position at the first dangerous chance to score.
With the advantage in the back, the Linzers did not allow much on the defensive, the Sageder-Elf tried to keep the ball and remain calm. Ex-Rapidler Marko Maric parried a powerful and deflected Renner free kick from 20 meters in the Bosnian goal (25th). A little later, Mario Cuze got a penalty for Zrinjski on the other side: After a defensive error by Andres Andrade, the Croatian LASK goalie Tobias Lawal lifted, the keeper touched the ball with his fingertips, but also hit Cuze on the foot.
The Portuguese referee Tiago Martins awarded a penalty kick, which captain Bilbija sunk coldly in the bottom right corner. After the change of sides, Mostar almost followed suit, a deflected Corluka shot immediately caused danger (46′). But it was Linz who took the lead again in the overall score after a Jovicic shot from distance from around 25 meters. The Bosnians then came again and again dangerously in front of the LASK goal, first-leg goalscorer Bilbija just missed a Stanglpass (66th). LASK “Joker” Elias Havel failed with a well-placed shot at Maric (73rd).
In the final phase, the hosts had significantly more possession of the ball, but they didn’t have a great chance of scoring the lead again.
sport/mixed/75023398.xml"/> 1693519646
#LASK #Zrinjski #Mostar #group #phase