LASK lives dream in Lisbon and creates Champions League sensation

LASK defeated Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday 3-2, breaking the spell after two disappointing opening games in the Champions League. The win delivered the club's first points in the top tier. “That was one of our best performances,” enthused coach Dietmar Kühbauer after the match.

Unexpected expectations, big surprise

Before the duel, Linz were under considerable pressure after a 0-1 defeat to AEK Athens and a 3-6 loss against Liverpool. Expectations for the team in the clash with Portugal's vice‑champion were therefore modest. Nevertheless, the side displayed a lot of confidence despite an early deficit.

As a reward, LASK left the José Alvalade stadium as the winner, after goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth had to be taken off in the 52nd minute following a clash with Luis Suárez. The team responded immediately and increased the pressure on the visitors, who did not let a genuine false start unsettle them.

The three goals came from ball recoveries: Christoph Lang opened the scoring in the 15th minute, Sasa Kalajdzic equalised in the 63rd, and Krystof Danek secured the win in the 68th. Kalajdzic said after his penalty in the fifth minute: “The referee was not really in form today, that was not a penalty.” He also criticised that the VAR system did not intervene, even though Nestory Irankunda had been fouled beforehand.

As the coach emphasized, the game was different from the Liverpool match, where Linz had stood too deep. “If we press higher, then they have their problems. It involves a lot of running, but they did not want to leave the field here as losers,” said the 55‑year‑old coach. Kalajdzic added that every unfair decision was whistled against Linz, while other infringements went unnoticed.

Significance of the first Champions‑League point

The victory marks the first Champions‑League points for an Austrian side since Sturm Graz's 1‑0 win over RB Leipzig on 29 January 2025. After three rounds, LASK, sitting in 24th place, is even in the play‑off spots. The points are owed to the aggressive and well‑coordinated pressing that rarely allowed the guests to gain ball control.

After the match, the focus initially shifts to the league duel on Sunday against Salzburg. On 3 November, LASK hope to add points in the Champions‑League tally in the home game against Slovan Bratislava.