LASK Cruises into Cup Round of 16

While players like Valon Berisha, Melayro Bogarde, and Hrvoje Smolcic were given a rest, Maksym Talovierov made his second start of the season, and Sascha Horvath returned to the team after serving his suspension. The third-division side from Vienna started bravely and created their first good chance in the 13th minute when Philip Kurz was just a step too late to reach a cross after a well-played ball over the defense. Moments later, LASK had their first opportunity when Moses Usor's shot hit the side netting.

As expected, Linz dominated and increased the tempo. After 19 minutes, they broke through on the right side, with Horvath assisting Robert Zulj, who was waiting in the box and scored with a side-footed shot to make it 1-0. A similar pattern led to Zulj’s second goal in the 36th minute. This time, Adil Taoui set up advancing left-back George Bello, who crossed from the opposite side and found Zulj again in the box. With just one touch, he scored his third overall cup goal for LASK.

At halftime, head coach Markus Schopp made three changes, resting Philipp Ziereis, George Bello, and Moses Usor, and giving Tomas Tavares, Rene Renner, and Alexis Tibidi valuable playing time. Robert Zulj completed his hat-trick in the 55th minute after Branko Jovicic won the ball, with Zulj curling a shot into the far corner. Shortly after, he was substituted for Modou Keba Cisse, who made his professional debut for LASK at the age of 19.

In the 69th minute, LASK had a new goalscorer: after a combination between Tavares and Horvath, Adil Taoui netted the 4-0 for the visitors. Moments later, there was more reason to celebrate as Ibrahim Mustapha made his comeback after a long injury, participating in his first competitive match since November 2023 against Liverpool. This marked the final highlight of the game, as LASK advanced to the Round of 16 for the eleventh consecutive time with a commanding performance, becoming the ninth Bundesliga team to do so. The opponent for the October 29/30/31 match will be drawn on Wednesday evening, following the conclusion of the last two second-round games.

Sportunion Mauer – LASK 0:4 (0:3)
Waldstadion Himberg, Referee Sampl
Goals: 0:1 Zulj (19'), 0:2 Zulj (36'), 0:3 Zulj (55'), 0:4 Taoui (69')

LASK lineup: Siebenhandl – Stojkovic, Ziereis (46' Tavares), Talovierov, Bello (46' Renner) – Horvath, Jovicic – Usor (46' Tibidi), Zulj (C/59' Cisse), Taoui – Ljubicic (70' Mustapha)