Comments on the games

“Wrongly assessed!” Rapid coach angry with referee

Robert Klauß (Rapid coach)

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

You can read what the teams had to say after the matches between SK Rapid and SC Austria Lustenau, Blau-Weiß Linz and FK Austria Wien, SCR Altach against LASK, WSG Tirol against TSV Hartberg, SK Sturm Graz against WAC and FC Red Bull Salzburg against SK Austria Klagenfurt HERE! 

Robert Klauß (Rapid coach): "We didn't find a good mix of tension and calmness on the ball. We were too hectic in the first half. We had to put in a lot of effort in the second half, which was unnecessary. Nevertheless, we still managed to get a point, but of course we're not satisfied with the game. The referee misjudged every crucial situation. Kongolo didn't commit a single foul and was sent off with a yellow-red card, the penalty wasn't a Lustenau handball on the line, but before that. The red card for my assistant coach wasn't justified either. We weren't good, but neither was the referee. There's more pressure on us now, the first real final game. We absolutely want to win this game, regardless of the constellation."

Andreas Heraf (Lustenau coach): "If you come to Rapid in our situation as the last team with the 0:7 from last week, then the expectations are relatively low that you can take something with you, because for me the mission to avoid relegation actually starts next week in Linz. We picked up a bonus point here. We can build on this performance. I'm having a hard time with Rapid's exclusion, I trust the Rapid lads who said it wasn't justified. For me, it wasn't a penalty for Rapid and therefore no red card for us."

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

Gerald Scheiblehner (BW coach): "You can't be satisfied with the first half. The course of the game was not happy for us overall. In the second half, however, we showed a good game, but couldn't take our chances. All in all, it was an annoying and unnecessary defeat. I'm particularly annoyed about the goal that made it 1-2. For me, Huskovic was clearly offside and obstructed our goalkeeper. I'm annoyed that we weren't rewarded for this performance with at least a point."

Michael Wimmer (Austria coach): "We set out to win in order to play a final. The first half was good, we had great energy in the team. We deserved to be leading at the break. As the game went on, however, we became too careless and sloppy. We should have made it 3:1 after the break. But then Linz bought our nerve and were better, you have to be honest. With a lot of skill and a little bit of luck, we got the result over time."
... on the starting position in the championship group race: "The positive thing is that anything is still possible for us. We're in the hunt, we know that. We changed positions again before the game, had suspensions and suspensions. The team coped well and showed that it has character and is absolutely intact. As always, we'll play to win against Tirol. No matter what happens on the other pitches, we have to be able to look ourselves in the mirror after the game and say that we gave it our all."

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Manfred Fischer (Austria captain): "That was definitely a hard piece of work. A real victory of will, our fighting performance and attitude were outstanding. We really wanted these three points. A final awaits us now, that was our big goal. We'll do everything we can to beat Tirol at home. Then we can't blame ourselves. The home game speaks for us now, the stadium will be full. We go into every game to win it. We'll do the same against Tirol. With our fans, the stadium will be on fire on Sunday, the whole team is looking forward to it."

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Joachim Standfest (Altach coach): "It was nerve-wracking. From above (the stands) you could see even better that it was an incredible performance from our team, especially in the first half. To dominate an opponent who was supposed to be way above us and play them in their own half like that was great. Of course, we're also disappointed that we didn't get a three-pointer. But that's secondary, when you see the team fight, run and play soccer like that, it's only a matter of time before it works out. We were alone in front of goal two, three or four times and couldn't get the ball over the line. But that's soccer. We'll keep pushing."

Thomas Sageder (LASK coach): "It was a very weak performance from us. I'm very dissatisfied, especially with things that are called basics. We lacked them. When you travel to Altach, you can expect a very intense game, characterized by duels, you have to accept that. And if you don't accept it, it looks something like today. That was the worst first half since I've been coach. I can't quite explain it."
...  on the question of whether LASK are dependent on captain Robert Zulj: "Yes, obviously. I'm glad that he'll be available again next week."

(Bild: GEPA)

Thomas Silberberger (Tirol coach): "It was a real relief for us at the right time. We were a bit behind the curve, so it's all the better that it worked out today. I don't care whether we're in the fight for the championship or not. We have to make sure we collect points, as the points are up for grabs."
... on the extraordinary press conference on Wednesday: "I know what's on the agenda, if I say something now, we won't need a press conference. There will be something to announce, I'm really pleased that the rumor mill is churning. It shows that at the end of the day, we are very interesting as a club."

Markus Schopp (Hartberg coach): "The decisive sequence was the red card, which tipped the game in one direction. But we also did well in the second half when we were outnumbered, there should have been a clear penalty for us. That wasn't the case, which is why we lost 1-0. Getting angry at the referees is pointless. I know that they will have explanations for all these situations, which I perceive completely differently. Everyone should form their own opinion, that's the most sensible thing to do. We still have a really good starting position in the battle for a place in the championship group. If 33 points are not enough, then we will accept that."

(Bild: GEPA)

Christian Ilzer (Sturm coach): "It's a clear result in a tight game against a strong opponent. We were the better team in the first half without creating any compelling chances. But we also didn't concede anything and let the WAC run. It was strange in the second half that we took a 2-0 lead at a time when WAC were the stronger team. We also needed Vit (Jaros, ed.) not to fall behind. The difference to the fall was that we stayed in suspense with the lead and weren't satisfied with the 2-0. We used the momentum and then stayed in it."

Manfred Schmid (WAC coach): "It's a shame, we were well in the game and conceded the goals in a phase where I felt the game could tilt in our direction. When you offer Sturm so much space at the end, they have the quality to take advantage of every mistake. We stood perfectly at the back until the 60th minute, even if we lacked the assertiveness going forward. The sticking points were the Zimmermann chance and the 0:2, which for me was preceded by a foul on Ballo. We wanted a final next week, but we didn't manage that."

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Gerhard Struber (Salzburg coach): "In principle, I'm happy with the three points. We knew for long stretches that we had to invest a lot. Klagenfurt always had a good attitude, were very tight, tightened up the center and gave us little space. It was a piece of hard work and hard investment. In the end, we should have finished the counter-attacks much more cleverly and decided the game early. We had some really great chances in the first half."

Peter Pacult (Klagenfurt coach): "It's a shame that we let such a defensive mistake kill the game. We defended well and had them well under control. We let an important point slip. More would have been possible, but we should have won more duels and had more possession. Ultimately, goalkeeper Schlager could have played without gloves today. But we have our fate in our own hands."