ADMIRAL Bundesliga Matchday 5 Review

FC Red Bull Salzburg 2-0 SK Austria Klagenfurt

Champions Red Bull Salzburg saw off a spirited showing from Austria Klagenfurt to claim a 2-0 victory and keep up the pressure on early frontrunners LASK. Having been denied by opposition goalkeeper Marco Knaller, who was making his Bundesliga debut for the Carinthians, on multiple occasions in the opening period, the Red Bulls eventually made the breakthrough when Fernando slotted home a Maurits Kjrgaard pass six minutes after the restart. Substitute Noah Okafor then doubled the advantage midway through the second period after being teed up by Andi Ulmer – the goal was initially ruled out with the left-back allegedly in an offside position, but the decision was overturned following a VAR review. It was the first time Matthias Jaissle has managed to outwit opposite number Peter Pacult since the Carinthian club were promoted to the Bundesliga last summer. Salzburg now sit second, only a point behind LASK, while Austria Klagenfurt lie in eighth on four points.

CASHPOINT SCR Altach 1-2 SC Austria Lustenau

Austria Lustenau got the better of Altach in what was their first competitive meeting since 2014 and the first Vorarlberg derby in the Austrian Bundesliga since 2000. But it was the home side who broke the deadlock amid atmospheric scenes at the Cashpoint Arena, with 18-year-old attacking midfielder Alexis Tibidi nodding home a Manuel Thurnwald cross in the 26^th minute to register his first goal in the Austrian top flight. Lustenau responded with a headed goal of their own on the half-hour mark, Bryan Teixera setting up former Altach player Matthias Maak to make it 1-1. Provider Teixera then turned goalscorer in the 89^th minute, punishing a moment of carelessness in the Altach rearguard with a low drive that sent the visiting fans into raptures. Kosovan forward Atdhe Nuhiu was then sent off for a second bookable offence in the dying embers. Austria Lustenau are now up to third with 10 points from five games – the best start by a promoted club since the new league format was introduced in 2018/19.

SK Puntigamer Sturm Graz 0-1 LASK

LASK continued their superb start to the 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign by inflicting a first home defeat of the season on Sturm Graz. In a tight encounter between two high-quality teams, Rasmus Højlund thought he had put the home side into the lead – only to be denied by the narrowest of offside decisions. Instead, it was LASK who opened the scoring in the 65^th minute of the game through the outstanding Keito Nakamura, who created himself an extra yard of space with the drop of a shoulder before firing the ball past Jrg Siebenhandl in the Graz goal. It is the first time that the Japan international has found the net away from home since moving to LASK in August 2021. The goal came directly after Jakob Jantscher, the Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2021/22, had made his long-awaited return from a calf injury sustained in the ÖFB Cup first round. The win keeps LASK narrowly in front of perennial title-winners Salzburg at the summit, with Sturm five points behind the leaders in fourth place.

SV Guntamatic Ried 1-2 WSG Tirol

The two Slovenian players scored as WSG Tirol came from behind to record their fourth victory in five competitive meetings with Ried. The Upper Austrians initially took the lead when Tim Plavotic slotted home the rebound after his initial header had been brilliantly saved by visiting shot-stopper Ferdinand Oswald. But then Sandi Ogrinec took full advantage of a terrible error by Julian Wießmeier, rounding Samuel Sahin-Radlinger to put the ball into an empty net. Christoph Monschein thought he had put the Vikings back in front with a superb strike with the outside of his right boot, only to be denied by a correct offside decision from the linesman. Then, with only five minutes remaining, Tim Prica played an outstanding reverse pass into the path of substitute Zan Rogelj, who converted the chance to give Thomas Silberberger’s side their first league away win since beating Ried at the same ground in mid-April.

RZ Pellets WAC 1-2 FK Austria Wien

Winless Wolfsberg’s torrid start to the Bundesliga season continued as they threw away a lead in a 2-1 home loss to Austria Vienna. The Wolves went ahead through Thorsten Rcher’s 16^th-minute piledriver, the forward forcing his way between two Austria Vienna defenders before hammering the ball into the top corner. But the Violets restored parity around 10 minutes before the break when former LASK player Andreas Gruber latched on to a through ball and slotted home. The visitors then went in front themselves through last season’s top scorer Marco Djuricin just after the hour mark. The victory means that for the first time this season, coach Manfred Schmid and his players, who started the season on -3 points, are no longer at the foot of the table. That unwanted position is now occupied by Wolfsberg, who are the only club yet to record a victory in the Austrian top flight this term.

SK Rapid Wien – TSV Egger Glas Hartberg

Rapid Vienna have taken advantage of a regulation allowing Austrian clubs participating in the final qualifying rounds for a European competition to postpone their league match taking place between the two legs. As such, they did not face Hartberg this weekend and instead continued their preparations for the second leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round tie with Vaduz from neighbouring Liechtenstein. A new date for the league fixture between Rapid and Hartberg will be announced in due course.