LASK Leave Tivoli Empty-Handed

It was a first half to forget for LASK before the break. From the very start, Tirol steered the match in their direction, showing more bite in challenges, switching quickly after winning possession, and posing constant danger from set pieces. Just two minutes in, goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth had to stretch to deny Tobias Anselm, but eleven minutes later the ball was in the net for the first time: after a cross from the left, Moritz Wels found himself completely unmarked in the box and made it 1–0 for WSG.

LASK failed to recover from that setback, with the hosts repeatedly finding themselves in promising shooting positions, while the Black-and-Whites could do little with their clear advantage in possession, barely gaining ground. The result: a 2–0 lead after 25 minutes, courtesy of a penalty converted by Valentino Müller. It almost got even worse when Andres Andrade was brought down in the box and then had the ball headed against his hand, but LASK keeper Jungwirth made an excellent save in the 37th minute. Five minutes before halftime, Samuel Adeniran had LASK’s only real chance of the half, but in his duel with WSG goalkeeper Adam Stejskal, he sent the ball narrowly wide.

The Linzers returned to the pitch with a double substitution, bringing on Florian Flecker and Krystof Danek. The second half began far better than the first had ended: George Bello powered his way forward just outside the box and finished the move with a perfect low shot into the far corner – 2–1, and LASK were back in the game. With the goal behind them, the visitors stepped up their attacking efforts, and striker Maximilian Entrup came on for his first appearance of the season, marking his comeback.

As LASK pushed to force an equaliser, they mostly created only half-chances, and their hopes of earning a point took a severe blow five minutes from time. Another quick transition allowed Müller to strike again for 3–1 in WSG’s favour – the final score, giving the hosts their second win in as many matches. LASK, meanwhile, remain without a point after two rounds and will host Austria Wien next Sunday at the Raiffeisen Arena.

WSG Tirol – LASK 3–1 (2–0)
Tivoli, Ref: Jakob Semler
Goals: 1–0 Wels (13’), 2–0 Müller (25’ pen), 2–1 Bello (50’), 3–1 Müller (85’)
Yellow cards: Taferner, Sabitzer; Jungwirth, Jörgensen
Note: Jungwirth saved a Müller penalty (37’)

LASK line-up: Jungwirth – Jörgensen, Bogarde, Andrade, Bello – Coulibaly (82’ Smakaj), Horvath (C) – Usor, Lang (46’ Danek), Kacavenda (46’ Flecker) – Adeniran (68’ Entrup)