2024-02-03 04:12:17
For Red Bull Salzburg, not everything that glitters is gold. Austria’s football series champions got off to a good start in the spring by reaching the cup semi-finals. Coach Gerhard Struber came up with a new basic order in Friday’s 3-2 win in the quarterfinals at LASK, but his defensive formation also revealed weaknesses against Linz. “We still have a lot to do to become more stable,” said Struber.
The league showdown against Sturm Graz follows next Friday (8.30 p.m.). Against the cup winners, to whom they lost in the quarter-finals last year, the Bulls have nothing less than the lead in the table at stake. The success in Linz is said to have given self-confidence. “LASK is at a good level. They are a very mature team. Against such an opponent you have to extend your antennae and that’s why this victory is very valuable,” emphasized the Salzburg coach.
However, he couldn’t be completely satisfied with the idea. Midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath, whom he had moved into the center of a new three-man defense, made one or two mistakes when attempting to clear the ball. In addition, they had to rely on two standard situations before the break in order to score goals. “We invested a lot of time in the standards,” explained Struber. They were carried out by the recovered Maurits Kjaergaard. “We feel good in the new formation,” emphasized the outside player.
Match winner Fernando scored his first two goals in almost a year. The Brazilian, who has repeatedly been plagued by injuries, was in the starting line-up for the first time this season and fulfilled the high expectations placed on him in the fight for the national double in Salzburg. However, the 24-year-old doesn’t seem to have the strength for a whole match yet. After 57 minutes, Roko Simic came on for him.
Alexander Schlager also had to hold on to the semi-finals several times. “It was a very special game for me,” said the former LASK goalie after his first appearance in Linz since his departure in the summer. Winning away from home in Linz is not a given. “LASK is making incredible progress, they are performing at a very high level. But we also know about the quality of the squad. It was a successful performance, we can be satisfied.”
The Linz team, however, did not reward themselves for a strong performance. “We are very annoyed about this defeat, which could definitely have been avoided,” said Thomas Sageder. The LASK trainer reported hanging heads in the dressing room. “We don’t want to fall into the role of pity now. From next week onwards the focus will be on the league in which we are the big hunters.” The third-placed team is seven points behind leaders Salzburg, with a home game against Austria Klagenfurt next Sunday at the start of spring.
“The elimination hurts a lot, we wanted to win the cup,” said LASK captain Robert Zulj. But you can build on the performance. “We played a great game, especially in the first half,” added defender Philipp Ziereis. New signing Valon Berisha also played his part, being in the starting line-up straight away after six months without a club. “I hoped that he would free up additional strength against the former club,” explained Sageder. “I was very happy with him for a long time.”
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