Image: GEPA pictures/ Manfred Binder (GEPA pictures)
Get up, adjust the crown, carry on: After the unfortunate 1-0 draw against Horn on Friday, Blau-Weiss Linz no longer has promotion in the second division in their own hands. Half of the necessary support for the promotion to the Bundesliga was provided on Sunday: St. Pölten missed the leap to the top after losing 2-1 in Kapfenberg. Before the last two rounds, GAK took over by beating Rapid II 2-0.
“The disappointment is of course very great, right after the game it was difficult to find the right words,” said Blue and White coach Gerald Scheiblehner. “We’ll take on the role of hunter, we have to win both games and not fall over.” The performance of his team had nothing to do with the fact that Blue and White lost: “We had 37 shots on goal, Horn only three. Sometimes football can also be cruel.”
Captain Michael Brandner, who missed a penalty in stoppage time, made no reproaches. “He’s someone who takes responsibility. He’ll take it.” Brandner was inconsolable: “I have to take the penalty, it hurts a lot.” Especially since Blau-Weiss Linz would have defended their top position with the equaliser. “But we have already mastered many difficult phases this season.”
The SV Ried as a role model
An Upper Austrian rival is now becoming a role model for the blue and whites: In the 2019/2020 season in Rieder, the Innviertler were at the top up to the 25th round, then gave the lead in the table to Klagenfurt and only pushed past the Carinthians again on the penultimate matchday .
It is still unclear whether top scorer Ronivaldo can help in the decisive finish: the suspicion of a cruciate ligament rupture was not confirmed after an initial examination of the 34-year-old Brazilian. It is said to be just a muscle contusion above the knee.
Source: Nachrichten
