UEFA Conference League Matchday 4: Borac Banja Luka 2-1 LASK

Since LASK’s Conference League stalemate against Cercle Brugge in early November, there have been two last-gasp victories for the Linzers, with striker Max Entrup powering Markus Schopp’s team to some morale-boosting wins on the road against Altach and Salzburg. Those results have seen the team shoot up the table, and the job on Thursday evening was to do the same in the European standings after another away fixture, this time against Bosnian side Borac Banja Luka.

In very wet and wintry conditions the match got underway, and the team in black and white had the first half-chance when Philipp Ziereis headed over the bar from an early corner kick. However, the good start for the guests wouldn’t continue for long. Before the two sides had really settled into the contest, a long-ball from the back caused a mix-up on the edge of the LASK area, and Ziereis’ header back was tipped away by the on-rushing Jörg Siebenhandl; crucially the keeper was outside of the box, and he would be sent off after just 7 minutes of football.

The dismissal completely changed the complexion of the match, but if every cloud has a silver lining, the positive here was that Lukas Jungwirth came on to make his European debut at just 20 years of age. He was able to calm any nerves with a comfortable save from a Čavić effort on target ten minutes after his arrival, and he was called upon again to stop another central shot when ex-LASK man Stefan Savić set-up Herrera to the left of the area after 27 minutes.

Borac were now pressing hard, and Jungwirth could do nothing about a fierce Vukčević strike, but the Montenegrin’s effort came back off the post before a number of shots had to be bravely blocked by defenders or parried by the young keeper. Three minutes before the interval, LASK rallied to get down the other end of the pitch, but after a nice pass down the right from Ljubičić, Robert Žulj fired just wide across goal from an angle, so the first half ended goalless.

Happily, that would change just five minutes after the restart, and with Borac looking to begin on the front foot, LASK executed a perfect counter-attack; Žulj brought the ball down the center, he had Berisha in support who laid it out to the right for Stojković, and it came back into the middle for Berisha again who swept it home for 1-0. A lovely move!

Borac went on the hunt for an equaliser soon after, and Maxi Talovierov summed up the visitors’ disciplined defensive efforts by celebrating a clearance as if it was another goal for the Linzers, but the ten-men of LASK could not find a way to consistently keep the ball, and the shot count built ever-higher for the home team, although most of their 20 attempts were harmless or deflected away. The pressure would tell with eight minutes remaining though, and a cross towards the front post was met with a bullet-header from Despotović. Although Jungwirth got close, he couldn’t keep it out, and LASK would have to reset quickly to the equaliser.

On came Adil Taoui and Branko Jovičić to steady the ship, but Borac kept on pressing, and a minute before the end of normal time, substitute Skorup’s shot from the edge of the area got deflected past Jungwirth and into the LASK net to complete a late turnaround of the wrong kind. It was a gutting conclusion after a brave performance from the outnumbered away team, and there would ultimately be no points to bring back from Bosnia.

FK Borac Banja Luka - LASK 2:1 (0:0)
Gradski Stadium Banja Luka, Referee Correia/POR
Goals: 0:1 Berisha (51.), 1:1 Despotovic (82.), 2:1 Skorup (89.)
Yellow Cards: Vukcevic, Meijers, Despotovic; Talovierov, Flecker, Bello, Stojkovic, Jungwirth, Entrup
Red Card: Siebenhandl (9./Torraub)

Line-up LASK: Siebenhandl – Stojkovic, Ziereis, Smolcic, Bello – Talovierov, Bogarde (9. Jungwirth) – Flecker, Zulj (K/85. Jovicic), Berisha (74. Entrup) – Ljubicic (85. Taoui)

By Tom Middler from The Other Bundesliga (@OtherBundesliga)