LASK Falls to Altach in Home Opener

Compared to last week's opening win in Hartberg, LASK made one change to their lineup, with Hrvoje Smolcic returning to the starting eleven after recovering from an injury. The first few minutes revealed the direction the match would take. The Linzers showed intense pressure and threatened the opposing goal multiple times in the early stages. For instance, George Bello narrowly missed the target after an attack down the left in the 5th minute. Just two minutes later, the American set up Robert Zulj, but the captain's shot was cleared just before crossing the line.

Zulj was more accurate in the 18th minute, as a pinpoint cross from Usor found the inside of the 32-year-old's boot, and with his first goal of the season, he gave LASK fans their first reason to celebrate. It was Zulj's 25th competitive goal for LASK, his last coming in February against Austria Klagenfurt before his injury break. LASK continued to dominate the game, controlling up to 80% of possession at times. However, despite the run of play, Altach managed to equalize: Gustavo Santos capitalized on a midfield passing error, broke free from the LASK defense, and kept his composure in front of Tobias Lawal to slot in the 1-1 (27'). Despite LASK's overwhelming dominance and good chances, including a powerful strike from Jovicic in the 29th minute, no further goals were scored before the break.

After the break, the familiar pattern continued: LASK dominated, trying to find the right spaces, while Altach defended in a compact block. However, unlike in the first half, it was much more difficult for LASK to get into scoring positions. The only real chance came when a shot from Zulj narrowly skimmed over the crossbar in the 55th minute. The shock came in the 69th minute: Once again, the lively Santos slipped past the Linz defense after a well-timed through ball, rounded Lawal, and scored to make it 2-1 for the visitors.

In the final stages, the hosts naturally threw everything forward, attacking repeatedly but in vain. In the 87th minute, substitute and birthday boy Adil Taoui missed the chance to equalize after a setup by fellow substitute Lenny Pintor. The much-anticipated equalizer never came, leaving the Black and Whites to suffer their first defeat of the season in their third competitive match, following victories in the Cup against Gurten and in the Bundesliga in Hartberg.

LASK – SCR Altach 1:2 (1:1)
Raiffeisen Arena, 11.470, SR Altmann
Goals: 1:0 Zulj (18.), 1:1 Santos (27.), 1:2 Santos (69.)
Yellow Cards: Ziereis (50.); Bähre (7.), Santos (71.), Strunz (74.), Kronberger (88.)

Line-up LASK: Lawal – Bogarde, Ziereis, Smolcic, Bello (91. Tibidi) – Horvath, Jovicic – Usor (82. Pintor), Zulj (K), Berisha (68. Taoui) – Ljubicic