LASK Keeps Perfect Record in Final Round

Head coach Markus Schopp made three changes to the starting lineup compared to the cup semifinal against WAC three days ago. Ismaila Coulibaly, Hrvoje Smolčić, and Melayro Bogarde—who replaced the suspended George Bello on the left side of defense—were brought into the starting eleven. After a quiet opening phase, Bogarde registered LASK’s first attempt on goal in the 12th minute, but his shot posed no real threat to GAK keeper Florian Wiegele.

Graz then came closer to taking the lead. First, Tobias Lawal denied László Kleinheisler in the 24th minute. Just moments later, the visitors had a double chance: Lawal kept out a header from Tio Cipot, and Benjamin Rosenberger's rebound effort struck the post. During this phase, LASK enjoyed a lot of possession but lacked penetration in dangerous areas—partly due to the deep-lying five-man defense of the visitors and the lack of pace and movement in LASK's play. Nine minutes before halftime, Sascha Horvath tested Wiegele again, while at the other end, Philipp Ziereis cleared a shot off the line via the post in the 40th minute.

With substitutes Keba Cissé and Robert Žulj on the pitch and significantly more pressure, LASK came out strong after the break. The Black-and-Whites managed to push higher up the pitch and create more presence in and around the box. In the 51st minute, Ismaila Coulibaly forced a save from Florian Wiegele with an outside-foot effort. Twenty minutes later, an unintended Jovicic connection finally broke the deadlock in LASK’s favor: Branko Jovicic sent in a cross from deep, and namesake Milos Jovicic headed the ball into his own net.

At that point, the lead was well deserved, as the Linz side had clearly improved in the second half—moving the opposition defense more effectively and increasing the pressure. Just three minutes after the opener, substitute Samuel Adeniran had a golden chance to double the lead, but once again Wiegele came to GAK’s rescue with a brilliant save.

The narrow scoreline kept things tense in the final minutes, although LASK’s defense largely kept the visitors at bay—even after Melayro Bogarde was sent off in the 86th minute for a second bookable offense. A late scare followed when referee Daniel Pfister pointed to the spot in the 91st minute, awarding GAK a penalty. However, after an on-field review, he reversed the decision. In the end, LASK held firm and celebrated a hard-fought 1–0 win—maintaining their perfect record in the final round after two matches.

LASK – GAK 1902 1:0 (0:0)
Raiffeisen Arena, 8800, Referee: Daniel Pfister
Goal: 1:0 M. Jovicic (71’, own goal)
Yellow cards: Bogarde, Cissé, Jovicic (LASK); Kreuzriegler (GAK)
Yellow-Red card: Bogarde (86’, foul)

Line-up LASK: Lawal – Jovicic, Ziereis (C), Smolcic (46' Cissé), Bogarde – Horvath, Coulibaly (70' Ljubic) – Danek, Flecker – Entrup (70' Adeniran), Lang (46' Žulj)