LASK surprises Sporting at Alvalade and secures victory in the League

In the third matchday of the Champions League group stage, LASK Linz beat Sporting Clube de Portugal 3-2 at the Estádio José Alvalade, prompting the Austrian press, represented by the newspaper Laola 1, to praise the performance of the team led by Dietmar Kuhbauer.

The Austrian newspaper Laola 1 was the first to comment on the result, highlighting LASK Linz's form and the importance of the win for coach Dietmar Kuhbauer. The publication described the triumph as “totally deserved” and emphasized that the club secured its first Champions League victory.

Reaction of the Austrian press

In the article titled “Totally deserved! LASK, in great form, secures its first Champions League win against Sporting”, Laola 1 praised the performance by stating that LASK “scored for the first time on the third matchday of the UEFA Champions League — and how”. The analysis highlighted the effectiveness of the team coached by Dietmar Kuhbauer and its ability to impose its tempo in Alvalade.

Match summary and implications

The game began with a controversial penalty in the fourth minute, converted by Suárez to open the scoring at 1‑0 in favor of Sporting. The referee awarded the spot‑kick after Ljubicic tackled Irankunda and the Australian held the opponent while jumping; despite Lukas Jungwirth’s save, the penalty stood.

Christoph Lang responded in the fifteenth minute, striking after a cross from Jörgensen to level the match at 1‑1. Before halftime, Araujo (38) and Lang (43) created good chances, keeping the score balanced, and the first half ended level.

In the second half, LASK took control. After a collision between Suárez and Jungwirth, the goalkeeper was replaced by Tobias Schützenauer in the fifty‑second minute. A few minutes later, in the sixty‑third minute, Ljubicic launched a counter‑attack that found Kalajdzic, who finished calmly to put LASK ahead 3‑1.

Five minutes later, Danek received a pass from Adeniran, dribbled into the box and, after a deflection, scored LASK’s third goal in the sixty‑eighth minute. Sporting tried to respond, but suffered from the Scottish referee Nick Walsh’s decisions, who did not award a clear foul on Alessandro Schöpf before Suárez’s penalty and did not consult the VAR. The final result was 3‑2 in favor of LASK.

With the three points, LASK moves up to twenty‑fourth place in the Champions League, while Sporting records its first loss after victories over Galatasaray and Lens. The win bolsters Dietmar Kuhbauer’s credibility and demonstrates LASK’s ability to compete away from home.