Goalless Draw Against Hartberg

LASK made six changes to their starting lineup for the match. Alongside an entirely new back three, goalkeeper Tobias Schützenauer replaced the injured Tobias Lawal, making his competitive debut for the team. However, it would take some time before he was truly tested. From the outset, LASK dominated possession and worked hard to find solutions against the visitors’ five-man defensive line. Their first real breakthrough came in the 14th minute when Andres Andrade — playing on the left of the back three — delivered a delicate cross from deep that found Melayro Bogarde, whose close-range effort was denied by keeper Raphael Sallinger.

Despite their dominance, the Linz side initially struggled to get in behind Hartberg’s defense. On the other end, Patrik Mijic had a promising opportunity in the 21st minute, but failed to hit the target. Toward the end of the first half, LASK began to penetrate the box more frequently. George Bello couldn’t make the most of a cross from Christoph Lang in the 37th minute, and just two minutes later, Lang himself narrowly missed the far post. A similar scene played out in stoppage time following an assist from Coulibaly, while a shot by Cisse had earlier just missed the goal.

The second half began with no personnel changes but with a dangerous header from Modou Keba Cisse that narrowly missed the target. LASK goalkeeper Tobias Schützenauer saw more action after the break, with Hartberg’s Patrik Mijic repeatedly trying to test him. In the 58th minute, Mijic threatened following a clever free-kick routine, but Schützenauer was alert—as he was again three minutes later when Dominik Prokop had a chance.

LASK then regained control and created their best chances of the match in a quick double opportunity. After a swift combination, George Bello set up substitute Florian Flecker, whose shot was brilliantly saved by Sallinger. Just moments later, Hartberg’s keeper was beaten, but the woodwork denied Maximilian Entrup a goal. In the final phase, LASK remained closer to scoring the winner, but despite their efforts, they couldn’t break the deadlock. As a result, the black-and-whites dropped points for the first time in the qualification group, though they remained unbeaten through eight matches.

LASK – TSV Hartberg 0:0
Raiffeisen Arena, 10.300, Referee Isa Simsek
Yellow Cards: Coulibaly, Horvath; Omoregie, Demir

Line-up LASK: Schützenauer – Cisse (62. Smolcic), Ziereis (K), Andrade – Bogarde (62. Flecker), Horvath, Coulibaly, Bello – Zulj, Entrup, Lang (62. Danek)