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LASK hands Rapid fourth defeat in a row

Football record champion Rapid also fails to score against LASK. The Hütteldorf team falls behind early - and misses a penalty at the end. Now Fiorentina awaits.

Dietmar Kühbauer has begun his second term as LASK coach triumphantly. The Linz team deservedly won 2-0 (2-0) at SK Rapid at the end of the 10th round of the Football Bundesliga. The athletes presented themselves as transformed. With the three points, LASK moved up to ninth place with now ten points. The Green-Whites, on the other hand, missed the jump to second place and remain third with 17 points behind Sturm (21) and Salzburg (18).

Moses Usor (12th) and Samuel Adeniran (42nd) put the Upper Austrians on the winning track in the first half. Rapid attacker Claudy Mbuyi failed late from the penalty spot (96th). For Green-White, it was the fourth consecutive competitive defeat. For coach Peter Stöger's team, the European Cup highlight against AC Fiorentina continues, with the team from Tuscany visiting the west of Vienna on Thursday (6:45 PM). Three days later, the Hütteldorf team travels to the promoted SV Ried. LASK will face bottom team GAK at home next Saturday.

LASK Early in the Lead

While Stöger only changed one position in his starting eleven after the international break - the fit-again Janis Antiste started from the beginning -, Kühbauer made significant changes in his first lineup and made five substitutions. The 54-year-old relied on a three-man defense, which became a massive five-man barrier during Rapid attacks. The Brazilian Joao Tornich - also known as Alemao - acted as the central defender.

Both teams offered a lot of space in midfield in front of 23,300 spectators, which LASK knew how to use better in the first half. Additionally, the guests were more present in duels and more alert in transition situations. Adeniran gave an initial warning shot in the third minute after a mistake in the Rapid defense. Shortly thereafter, the Linz team efficiently combined in front of the Rapid goal: Sascha Horvath bridged the midfield with a one-two over Adeniran and served Usor perfectly. The 23-year-old Nigerian left Niklas Hedl with no chance.

A first approach to goal for the Viennese came through Mbuyi, whose shot was too weak and rolled past the goal (17th). In return, George Bello hit only the post after a pass from the lively Horvath, Hedl would have had no chance (18th). Adeniran initially failed against Hedl before the break (37th), but did better five minutes later. After a loss of the ball by the hosts, Kasper Jörgensen found the US striker with a long pass, who coolly increased the lead.

Rapid Missed Penalty

The weak performance of his team did not go unnoticed by Stöger, who tried to give the Rapid game new impulses with a triple substitution at halftime. Ercan Kara, Dominik Weixelbraun, and Furkan Demir were supposed to save the day. However, Rapid did not really manage to ignite such a spark. The Viennese were now superior on the field, but shots on goal remained scarce.

A Kara header after a corner narrowly missed Lukas Jungwirth's goal (57th). Shortly thereafter, Tobias Gulliksen also came into play for Rapid (64th). But the tightly packed LASK defense continued to maintain oversight. Even a penalty - Jungwirth had hit Kara on the head with his fist - did not lead Rapid to success. Jungwirth saved against Mbuyi (96th) and thus gave Kühbauer a perfect start at his former club.

(APA/Red)

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