No Winner in Playoff First Leg

With two changes compared to the Bundesliga home match against RB Salzburg, LASK started their first European Cup match of the new season. Adil Taoui got his first start of the year, replacing Lenny Pintor, while Jörg Siebenhandl took over goalkeeping duties from Tobias Lawal, who was injured during warm-up. The Linz team controlled the game from the outset with a lot of possession. Moses Usor had the first chance, but he sent a cross from Taoui well over the goal. Ten minutes later, the Nigerian nearly set up Robert Zulj perfectly, but the captain was just a step too late.

As the game progressed, LASK increasingly penetrated dangerous areas, edging closer to a lead. This almost came after a cross from Sascha Horvath, but Usor hammered the ball over keeper Stefan Tarnovanu's goal. The Athletiker were more accurate 13 minutes later: After a beautiful combination through the center involving Melayro Bogarde and Zulj, the latter played Taoui through, and with his second touch, he scored the deserved 1-0—marking the first European goal for the 23-year-old Frenchman. Despite being largely absent offensively up to that point, the Romanian side managed to prevent LASK from going into halftime with a lead. First, Siebenhandl made a crucial save after a turnover against Malcolm Edjouma (40th minute), but in stoppage time, he was beaten by a header from David Miculescu.

After a more balanced start to the second half, head coach Thomas Darazs reacted by bringing on Filip Stojkovic, Alexis Tibidi, and Lenny Pintor. LASK tried to pick up the pace and increase the pressure after about an hour, but they still struggled to create clear chances. This was partly due to periods of impatience, as the game became more intense but less controlled.

Even in the final stages, where Jerome Boateng was substituted in for the second time, the big opportunities remained elusive. It wasn't until four minutes before the end that Melayro Bogarde set up Valon Berisha, whose shot only grazed the crossbar. This would be the only real chance to secure the winning goal, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. The second leg will take place next Thursday at the Stadionul Steaua in Bucharest.

LASK – FCSB Bucharest 1:1 (1:1)
Raiffeisen Arena, 10.650, SR Lindhout/NED
Goals: 1:0 Taoui (34.), 1:1 Miculescu (45.+1)
Yellow Cards: Bogarde, Taoui; Ngezana, Olaru, Tanase, Miculescu

Line-up LASK: Lawal – Bogarde, Ziereis, Smolcic (59. Stojkovic), Bello – Horvath, Berisha – Usor (62. Tibidi), Zulj (K/62. Pintor), Taoui (78. Boateng) – Ljubicic