Blue-White Linz Pushes Vienna Austria to Third Place
After the nail-biting finale of the football Bundesliga, Austria is left with only third place. The "Violets" had to settle for a 2:2 (1:0) draw in their home game against Blau-Weiß Linz after late goals. Even with a victory, the championship title would have remained out of reach due to Sturm's draw against WAC. The Viennese slipped behind Salzburg in the standings.
Dominik Fitz scored his twelfth goal of the season with a penalty (33rd minute) to give Stephan Helm's team the lead, Alexander Schmidt (78th minute) equalized to 1:1. Philipp Wiesinger then scored in the 90th minute for the supposed Austria victory, before Oliver Wähling equalized again for the Linzers two minutes later. Blau-Weiß was confirmed as sixth in the championship group. Ronivaldo claimed the top scorer title with 14 goals.
All Set for Title Showdown
In Vienna-Favoriten, everything was set for the title showdown. Helm relied on familiar personnel, with Nik Prelec returning to the starting lineup after a suspension. Blau-Weiß wanted to present themselves in the best light once more, as Gerald Scheiblehner emphasized before the match, and also fielded their best lineup.
Austria Leads Through Penalty
The 14,786 spectators in the sold-out Generali Arena, except for the guest sector, saw an Austria team that took command. The Linzers were waiting for the counterattack - and almost took the lead. After a shift in play, Simon Seidl had space in the penalty area, and Samuel Sahin-Radlinger tipped the deflected shot over the crossbar with his fingertips (21st minute).
Austria struggled to create chances. A header from Tin Plavotic after a corner was the most dangerous scene for the hosts in the first half-hour. The efforts of the captain were rewarded, however. Ronivaldo hit Plavotic on the foot after a corner, and referee Walter Altmann awarded a penalty. Fitz stepped up and hammered the ball confidently into the top corner.
The cheers were loud, Austria on their way to contribute to the sensation. Blau-Weiß wavered, Fitz slipped away just two minutes later, his shot from a tight angle was cleared off the line by Fabio Strauss. Only Sturm's leading goal disturbed the violet halftime idyll.
Blau-Weiß Linz with Equalizer
The series of corner kicks for the Viennese was to continue after the change of sides. Within a few seconds, both sets of fans had goal celebrations on their lips. First, BW goalkeeper Radek Vitek brought his 1.98 m into play with a beautifully taken Prelec shot, almost in return, Ronivaldo shot just wide (56th minute). In the 67th minute, news of the equalizer in Graz suddenly spread.
Austria tried to create a preliminary decision. Maurice Malone hit the outside post while falling (77th minute). However, Blau-Weiß continued to indicate goal danger with advances and suddenly managed the equalizer: Schmidt scored after a deflected shot by the also substituted Joao Soares. Time was now running against Austria.
Heads Down at Wiener Austria
Wiesinger scored the supposed winning goal. In the midst of the euphoria in the stands, the cold shower followed. Wähling, also substituted, used a feint to decisively create space for himself. At Austria, there were heads down after the final whistle.
(APA/Red)
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