While the hosts were too inconsistent on offense after a change of sides and gave Mostar too many shares of the game after the break, the evening in front of around 10,000 spectators in the Raiffeisen Arena got off to an ideal start. Coach Thomas Sageder let his team run in with a back three for the first time. The first goal followed after aggressive pressing.
A pass from Ibrahim Mustapha to the center was blocked by the Mostar defense. Moses Usor fought back the ball, Sascha Horvath then heeled it to Zulj. Mostar central defender Ivica Batarelo still had his foot in between when Florian Flecker passed the hole, but could only fend the ball back to the LASK captain. He took off with his right and hit the right corner sharply (4th).
Zulj puts together the double pack
The second goal came after a mistake in Mostar’s build-up play. Horvath intervened in the middle of an unplaced ball and immediately put it down for Zulj. The 31-year-old didn’t hesitate, turned around once and shot from around 20 meters. His sharp shot into the left corner went right between Mostar goalie Marko Maric’s hand and the post (12′).
Zulj scores for the second time
After just twelve minutes, Robert Zulj scored for the second time.
The visitors’ first notable attack culminated in a goal that didn’t count. A high ball forward was extended behind the Linz defense to Matija Malekinusic with a header. He ran alone to Tobias Lawal and sank the ball past the LASK goalie into the corner (25th). However, the goal was invalid because Malekinusic had started from a clear offside position.
A little later, Linz almost again punished a mistake in Mostar’s build-up game. Branko Jovicic intervened in a pass and played straight to Usor. The Nigerian fired into the penalty area on the left, but his shot from a tight angle went just wide of the target (29′).
LASK is lucky with a pole shot
LASK was lucky shortly before the break: Antonio Ivancic played a hole pass to Mario Cuze, who took the ball with his right foot and deliberately finished it with his left (38th). Goalie Lawal would have been beaten, the right post saved the Upper Austrians from conceding.
Cuze hits the bar
LASK was lucky with a pole shot by Mario Cuze just before the break (38th).
After the break, LASK focused more on managing the result. A few minutes after the restart, Rene Renner still had a good chance, who wanted to put it down to Zulj after a deep pass. However, the last pass was too imprecise and Mostar defender Batarelo was able to clear before the Linz captain (51′).
Mostar shortens from a free kick
After that, Mostar came into play better and better and put the Upper Austrians under pressure. Coach Sageder’s team then had to accept the goal from a standard situation. Tomislav Kis, who came on as a substitute four minutes earlier, kicked a free-kick up into the box from the left. Mostar captain Bilbija ran into space and finished with a left (71st).
Bilbija scores a goal
Mostar captain Nemanja Bilbija scored the goal for the guests after a free kick (71st).
Comments on the game:
Robert Zulj (LASK double goal scorer): “I think we played a very good early phase and scored deserved goals. Then we lost the thread a bit if we didn’t play forward so purposefully. Still, you have to say that we wanted to win today and we won and we just have to do better in Bosnia next week.”
Thomas Sageder (LASK-Trainer): “Basically, I’m happy that we’ve got a good starting position at home for the second leg. But of course it always annoys us when you concede a goal from a set piece like that because it could somehow be avoided. I think we could have played one or the other situation better, but basically we are satisfied with the win at home.”
Krunoslav Rendulic (Zrinjski-Coach): “We congratulate LASK on their deserved victory. At the beginning we were impressed by the environment, LASK made us feel that. It distinguishes the team that it has a fighter nature. In the end, losing by one goal is perfectly fine for the second leg. There we will do everything we can to beat LASK. The chances for the second leg are realistic. But we have to be much better in the second leg. Of course we hope for our fans and that gives us a certain optimism. But I emphasize once again that LASK is the better team than us in terms of quality.
UEFA Europa League, play-off first leg
Thursday:
LASK – Mostar 2:1 (2:0)
Linz, Raiffeisen Arena, 10,000 spectators, SR Grinfeeld (ISR)
Torfolge:
1:0 Zulj (4th)
2:0 Zulj (12.)
2:1 Bilbia (71.)SHOT: Lawal – Ziereis, Andrade, Luckeneder – Flecker (70./Ba), Horvath (80./Ljubic), Jovicic (70./Talowjerow), Renner – Zulj – Usor (53./Goiginger), Mustapha (53./Pintor)
Mostar: Maric – Corluka, Batarelo, Senic, Ticinovic (82nd/Memija) – Ivancic (67th/Kis), Ramic (46th/Stanic), Canadjija – Malekinusic (67th/Sabljic), Bilbija, Cuze (54th/Jukic )
Yellow cards: Andrade, Jovicic or none
Second leg on August 31 (9 p.m.) in Mostar. Promoted in Europa League group stage, lost in Conference League group stage