Stella on the podium

Victory at the end: “Important for our heads”

Coach Aleks Ristovski took third place with Stella Rossa.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

The futsal players from Stella Rossa won the basic round, but were later bitterly eliminated in the semi-finals. After three previous championship runners-up finishes, they ended up in third place this year. However, the Viennese were once again unable to fulfill their dream of winning the title. 

They were bitterly defeated by FC Linz in the decisive match of the best-of-3 semi-final series. The futsal players from Stella Rossa lost 6:0 in Südstadt, conceding four goals in the space of seven minutes. Which is why they still have to wait for the championship title after 2015. "The ball just wouldn't go in. It was very unfortunate and not our day," said coach Aleksandar Ristovski.

Manuel Gager and the Viennese team were bitterly eliminated.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Nevertheless, there was a conciliatory conclusion. In the match for third place, Stella Rossa celebrated a 12:8 victory against Klagenfurt in the Rundhalle in Simmering. They led 4:1 after 22 minutes and Alec Flögel, son of Austria legend Thomas, scored twice in the final (39th, 40th). "It was hugely important, also for our heads, that we ended the season with a win," said Ristovski.

Boris Vukovic won with his team at the end.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

However, the coach is already looking ahead again and knows where to focus next. "Unfortunately, we don't have a hall for training during the week, which was noticeable in the games because the sequences weren't 100% right. Apart from that, the quality of the squad is very good, the boys live for the club and play for free. Stella Rossa also has the most national team players in Austria."