Home game in the play-off

Wolfsberger AC vs WSG Tirol – LIVE from 5pm

Simon Piesinger celebrates.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

With a 3:1 (0:1) home win over WSG Tirol in the last round of the Bundesliga qualifying group, WAC secured the right to play at home in the European Cup play-off semi-finals. In a duel between outgoing coaches, the Carinthians turned the game around after trailing at the break with a clear improvement in performance in the second half and gained further confidence for the clash with Vienna Austria on Tuesday (7pm) in their own stadium.

While legendary Watten coach Thomas Silberberger could be satisfied for the time being after taking a 1-0 lead at the break thanks to Felix Bacher (45-3) in his farewell game, goals from Augustine Boakye (48), Simon Piesinger (57) and Ervin Omic (91) gave the WAC their third win in a row. However, the Wolves were down to nine opponents in the final period after WSG goalkeeper Adam Stejskal (79) and team-mate Luca Kronberger (84) were shown red.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

WAC maintained their two-point lead over Austria and go into the semi-final clash as slight favorites ten days after their 4-0 triumph in Vienna-Favoriten. The winner will face the fifth-placed team in the Champions Group, either Hartberg or Austria Klagenfurt.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Silberberger's farewell
Silberberger, who is looking for a new challenge after eleven years as coach, was given a dominant first half by his team. While the extremely passive WAC hardly managed any coherent action, the Tyroleans created several good chances, which Bacher crowned with a header in the five-man box shortly before the final whistle to make it 1-0 - goalkeeper Lukas Gütlbauer looked unfortunate.

Thomas Silberberger

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Manfred Schmid's speech at the break, who will leave the Lavanttaler prematurely at the end of the season after just over a year, must have had an effect. Substitute Boakye virtually opened the second half with the equalizer, and Piesinger completed the quick turnaround less than ten minutes later. The supposed 3:1 through a long shot by Thomas Sabitzer (69') was disallowed for offside by referee Alexander Harkam after a VAR study.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

This gave the resurgent WSG another chance, but they were unable to take advantage of it. Nik Prelec missed a "hot" volley (75'), then the visitors were finally knocked out. First Stejskal caught the ball just outside the penalty area, then Kronberger overcommitted against Maximilian Scharfetter and was also sent off. The WAC played out the victory safely, and in stoppage time Omic gave his team another chance to celebrate with a superb long-range shot from 20 meters.

Manfred Schmid

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Wolfsberger AC - WSG Tirol 3:1 (0:1)
Wolfsberg, Lavanttal-Arena
SR Harkam

Goals: 
0:1 (45.+3) Bacher 
1:1 (48.) Boakye 
2:1 (57.) Piesinger 
3:1 (91.) Omic

WAC: Gütlbauer - Diabate (46. Ibertsberger), Baumgartner, Omic, Piesinger, Kennedy (78. T. Gruber) - Müller, Jasic (46. Sabitzer), Altunashvili (46. Boakye) - Scharfetter (86. Morgenstern), Ballo

WSG: Stejskal - Ranacher (74. Kronberger), Bacher, Okungbowa, D. Gugganig, Geris (73. Schulz) - Naschberger (81. Schermer), Taferner, Müller - Prelec (87. Diarra), Tomic (73. Skrbo)

Red cards: Stejskal (80./WSG/goal robbery), Kronberger (84./WSG/rough play)

Yellow cards: none or Naschberger, Tomic