Semi-Final: WSG Tirol 2-1 LASK
By finishing at the very top of the ADMIRAL Bundesliga Qualification Round, WSG Tirol secured home advantage for the play-off semi-final against LASK, who themselves had finished second in the group standings. Thomas Silberberger’s WSG team made good use of their home tie, and with a celebratory spirit at the Tivoli Stadium, they built themselves a 2-0 lead. Giacomo Vrioni moved level with the club’s record goal tally as he got up high and headed in his 18th of the season, before LASK-loanee Thomas Sabitzer cut back and slotted in to double the lead just before the break. He’s scored nine goals in 28 appearances for the Tirolers, a stark contrast to his 14-game goalless spell at LASK. A late Thomas Goiginger penalty gave the visitors a chance of a comeback, and with 17 shots and 65% possession, they might have felt that they did enough to level it, but ultimately group-winners WSG held on to advance to the final.
Final: SK Rapid Vienna 4-1(agg.) WSG Tirol
With the last spot in European qualifiers for next season on the line, WSG and Rapid went head to head over two legs. In the regular season, WSG were the only team against which Rapid had taken maximum points, and they continued that run with a 2-1 win away from home in the first game. Marco Grüll slotted in after 10 minutes, and Jonas Auer won the ball back before running through to score his first ever ADMIRAL Bundesliga goal on his 22nd appearance, meaning the Vienna side were two-up inside 15 minutes. WSG brought a response though, when Juventus-loanee Giacomo Vrioni stayed composed in the box, and scored a record-breaking 19th of the season. He levelled up with Karim Adeyemi at the top of the league’s goal-scoring charts, and moved clear in his team’s ranking for the most goals ever in a Bundesliga season.
With the score sitting at 2-1, Rapid were in the driving seat as the play-off concluded in Hütteldorf on Sunday. They extended their lead half an hour in, when Grüll passed to Robert Ljubicic, who curled in a spectacular long-shot; his third goal of the season, and second from range. For Grüll, the goal was the continuation of a perfect run against WSG Tirol, as he managed at least one scorer point in each meeting during this campaign. The guests gave a spirited showing as they looked for a way back into the game, and tried to keep alive any hopes of a first ever European adventure next season. They almost matched Rapid for shots and possession, and tested goalkeeper Paul Gartler on a number of occasions, before Nicolas Binder got onto the end of a long pass, rounded the keeper, and slotted into an empty net to seal the win with his first goal for Rapid Vienna, one that came with less than five minutes remaining. WSG ended their campaign with a great deal of credit, but congratulations go to Rapid, who were the ones to seal the league’s last remaining place in European qualifying.