Home Derby Ends Goalless

With newly signed Christoph Lang in the starting lineup, LASK kicked off the home derby, with the Styrian partnering Maximilian Entrup in attack. From the outset, it became clear what challenges the Athletiker would face in this match. As expected, the visitors set up in a compact defensive block with a five-man backline, looking to capitalize on counterattacks. The Black-Whites initially struggled to create the necessary space in possession to break into dangerous areas.

That changed after 18 minutes when a textbook combination nearly led to the opening goal. After a pass from George Bello, Lang fired a first-time shot, but BW goalkeeper Radek Vitek made the save. Earlier, LASK keeper Tobias Lawal had denied Ronivaldo’s tight-angled effort with a strong stretch (8’). Other attempts in the first half also failed to find the net: Enis Safin narrowly missed the target (28’), as did Maximilian Entrup eight minutes later.

After the break, the flow of the game remained largely unchanged, except for the introduction of Robert Zulj and Valon Berisha in the 56th minute. LASK continued to dominate possession but struggled to break into the penalty area frequently. A dangerous moment arose when a mishit cross from Lang forced Vitek into action. Following the ensuing corner, Entrup lifted the ball over the goal, and later, his header in the closing stages also missed the target.

Head coach Markus Schopp injected fresh energy with Samuel Adeniran and Melayro Bogarde, while Blau-Weiß Linz went down to ten men after Simon Pirkl received a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Zulj (75’).

In the final minutes, two golden opportunities for a winner emerged. Philipp Ziereis’ header from a corner was saved by Vitek, and the rebound from Entrup found only the side netting (89’). Moments later, Zulj failed to convert an Entrup assist. After 95 minutes, referee Walter Altmann blew the final whistle, sealing a goalless draw in the 92nd Linz city derby.

LASK - FC Blau-Weiß Linz 0:0
Raiffeisen Arena, Ref. Altmann
Yellow Cards: Smolcic; Schmidt
Red Card: Pirkl (75./Foul)

Line-up LASK: Lawal – Jovicic, Ziereis (K), Smolcic, Bello – Coulibaly (56. Zulj), Ljubic – Safin (56. Berisha), Horvath (76. Bogarde) – Lang (76. Adeniran), Entrup