"Heading into the Playoffs with Confidence"

Opportunities to take points, as they did in the 3-1 victory over Salzburg last April, were certainly there. However, a lack of composure and precision in the final passes prevented them from finding success in front of the opponent's goal. "We had enough chances, but we didn't capitalize on them or played them poorly," remarked midfield engine Sascha Horvath.

Particularly in ball-related statistics, the Black and Whites were ahead in several areas: 53.5% possession, a passing accuracy of 87.2% (compared to Salzburg’s 79.3%), and a pass accuracy of 78.4% in the final third (Salzburg: 66.3%) allowed LASK to appear dominant at times. "It was a really good performance that we can take a lot from," said goalkeeper Tobias Lawal. "Nevertheless, scoring goals is the ultimate discipline in football," said Darazs, who identified a chain of errors and a counterattack—"something that happened to us too often in the second half"—leading to the decisive goal by Moussa Yeo in the 64th minute.

Three points from the first three rounds aren't enough to satisfy the Athletiker, although this tally doesn’t reflect their performances so far. “Points-wise, it’s too little, but the performances have been something we can build on,” said Darazs, adding, “We congratulate Salzburg, but we're not hanging our heads because we know we're just at the beginning of a journey.”

Speaking of the journey, things are moving quickly for LASK. On Thursday, they face FCSB Bucharest in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League play-offs (7:00 PM), followed by a visit to Austria Vienna on Sunday (5:00 PM). Just four days later, the return match in Romania takes place, and the hectic schedule wraps up with a home game against Wolfsberger AC on September 1st. “We believe we can manage this well with our training regimen. I always enjoyed playing twice a week; that’s what we’re here for, that’s what we train for,” said Darazs, dismissing concerns about the potential for overload. Lawal is also looking forward to the European match: “We’re heading into the play-offs against Bucharest with confidence, and we’re all excited to continue our international journey.”

Match Report

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