Bundesliga Match Day 31 Reviews

FK Austria Wien – spusu SKN St. Pölten 2:1 (1:1)

St. Pölten, who needed to win and hope for results elsewhere to go their way to have a chance of beating the drop, lost 2-1 to Austria Vienna. Schmidt cancelled out Wimmer’s opener with his 13th goal of the season - a record for a St. Pölten player in a Bundesliga campaign - to give the Lower Austrians hope heading into the break, only for Grünwald to find the net midway through the second period. But although the spectre of the second tier looms large for the Wolves, they have been handed a lifeline: they will enter into a play-off against a promotion challenger - either third-placed Wacker Innsbruck or Austria Klagenfurt in fourth - to determine their fate. With direct promotion to the Bundesliga only available to the clubs in first or second place and neither of the top two eligible to go up, St. Pölten will miraculously live to fight another day.

SCR CASHPOINT Altach 3-0 SV Guntamatic Ried

Altach ran out 3-0 winners to leapfrog Ried into third place in the table and condemn their opponents to a first defeat of the Qualification Group. Ried boss Heraf made eight changes to the side and it showed, with Fischer netting his sixth goal of the season in the 12th minute before Maderner and Nussbaumer added second-half goals to round off a comfortable victory. Maderner is in particularly rich scoring form, having now netted four times in his last five Bundesliga appearances - a significant improvement on his record of one goal in his previous 54 games. Ried’s starting XI had an average age of 24 years and 103 days - their youngest in the Bundesliga since winning 2-1 away at Grödig on 14 March 2015 (23 years and 325 days).

TSV Prolactal Hartberg 2-0 FC Flyeralarm Admira

Admira were lucky that results elsewhere spared them the ignominy of relegation, because they themselves slumped to a 2-0 defeat away to Hartberg. A goalkeeping mistake from Leitner, who did not get a strong enough hand on Ertlthaler’s shot, and a Rep penalty handed the Styrians a victory that kept them hot on the heels of Austria Vienna and wrapped up their place in the internal European play-off. Ertlthaler’s goal was his first in 80 Bundesliga appearances, while Rep’s spot-kick took his total tally in the Austrian top flight to 23 goals. It was only the second time he has fired home from the spot, having previously converted a penalty against Wacker Innsbruck on 9 December 2018.

WSG Swarovski Tirol 2-2 RZ Pellets Wolfsberger AC

Wolfsberg shot-stopper Kuttin saved a stoppage-time penalty from Pranter to earn his side a point and ensure that they cannot finish lower than fifth this season - meaning there is a chance of European football returning to Carinthia again next term. Rogelj had opened the scoring for WSG with a tidy finish, before a Joveljic brace - his third in the Bundesliga and his second against the Tyroleans - turned the game around. Pranter then netted his fourth Bundesliga goal to restore parity at 2-2, before the penalty was awarded and Baumgartner was sent off for two bookable offences. Liendl set up Joveljic’s second goal to take his assist tally for the season to 15 - more than any other player in the league.

LASK 2-5 Red Bull Salzburg

Champions Red Bull Salzburg beat LASK for the sixth league game in a row to go 15 points clear at the summit. Eggestein scored his 12th goal of the season for the hosts in the 19th minute, only for Mwepu and Okafor to turn the game on its head with two goals in the next two minutes. Daka netted on the stroke of half-time to make it 28 goals for the season, before a second-half Adeyemi brace made it 5-1. LASK missed a penalty - for the fourth time this season - but pulled a goal back through Reiter with six minutes to go after Salzburg’s Bernède had been sent off. Thalhammer’s men now cannot finish higher than fourth - which would take them into the third qualifying round for the UEFA Europa Conference League - but could also drop down to fifth depending on results on the final day.

SK Puntigamer Sturm Graz 4-1 SK Rapid Vienna

Sturm Graz ended their hoodoo against Rapid Vienna - they had not beaten the Green & Whites on home turf for three years - with an impressive 4-1 comeback win at the Merkur Arena. Kara fortuitously slotted home from close range in the 20th minute, but the Grazers hit back with a flurry of second-half goals from Kiteishvili, Yeboah, Kuen and Ljubic. Kuen’s goal, a curling effort into the top corner, was probably the pick of the bunch. The result draws Ilzer’s charges, who occupy third place, level on points with second-placed Rapid Vienna and gives them a chance of usurping the capital club on the final day. They will need to either better Rapid’s result or make up a five-goal swing in goal difference.