The semi-finals in the ÖFB soccer cup will take place without LASK. The athletes had to admit defeat yesterday in Salzburg with 1:3 (1:2). Salzburg have remained unbeaten at home in the cup competition since the 2-1 draw against Pasching in 2013. “There were many positive elements in our game,” said goalkeeper Alexander Schlager despite the defeat. He added what has to be different in the last four rounds of the Bundesliga regular season: “We have to stop the unnecessary goals conceded.”
The fact that Salzburg increased their winning streak to 61:2 in the 63rd cup game since 2011 – in addition to the defeat against Pasching, they only lost the 2018 cup final against Sturm Graz, otherwise they could always win the competition – was not clear for a long time, at least in the first half been.
LASK kept the game open for long stretches with aggressive counter-pressing. However, Sascha Horvath’s 1-0 was not the hoped-for start to a sensation, but rather the beginning of the end. His shot from the edge of the penalty area was deflected and went right into the cross corner (13′).
The hope for the big surprise lasted only 113 seconds: Rene Renner unluckily deflected a shot from Benjamin Sesko to equalize. Before that, Sesko had left LASK’s new acquisition Filip Twardzik, who didn’t look good when the 1: 2 was made just before the break. The corner kick he owed was unnecessary. Rasmus Kristensen headed Andreas Ulmer’s corner to the first pole to make it 1:2 (41st).
“A courageous performance”
After the break, the match was practically decided after just 110 seconds: Peter Michorl played the involuntary one-two with Salzburg’s Brenden Aaronson, who unselfishly placed the ball alone in front of LASK goalkeeper Schlager for Nicolas Capaldo – 1:3 (47th).
The quick goal visibly shocked the Black and Whites, while Salzburg, with the lead behind them, acted a class stronger.
In contrast to the last games in autumn, LASK trainer Andreas Wieland had enough change options and also made use of the contingent with the substitutions of Florian Flecker, Keito Nakamura, Hyun-seok Hong, Yannis Letard and Andreas Gruber. Much more than a dangerous Michorl free kick (76th) and a Gruber header (83rd) should not look out.
Even if Salzburg continues to play in a league of its own, the appearance gives confidence for the duels in the league against the teams on an equal footing. “It was a courageous performance if you look at where we played,” said Wieland. “You could see our quality, we showed that we are physically good.”
Jovicic signing confirmed
Schlager looked ahead: “Now there are four finals for us.” The starting signal for the final spurt in the Bundesliga regular round will be given on Sunday against Klagenfurt. Until then, Branko Jovicic should also be eligible to play.
In the meantime, the transfer, which OÖN had already announced on Saturday, has officially taken place. “Branko suits our game idea very well, he has the pressing style in his blood,” said Wieland. “He’s an absolute mentality player and has everything he needs to quickly fit into the team.”
Source: Nachrichten
