ÖFB Cup
ÖFB Cup: Six Bundesliga teams face off, 8.30 pm
Wolfsberger AC defeated Austria Klagenfurt on penalties (2:2 after extra time). RB Salzburg celebrated a commanding 3-0 win against WSG Tirol. Sturm Graz won 2:1 against Blau-Weiß Linz.
WAC made it through to the quarter-finals of the ÖFB Cup after overtime. The team from Wolfsberg came out on top in the Carinthian round of 16 clash with Austria Klagenfurt in the Lavanttal Arena on Wednesday, winning 9-8 on penalties. The score was 1:1 after 90 minutes and 2:2 after extra time. The WAC had already had the better end in the league opening round at home with a 4:1 win. GAK conquerors Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz await in the battle for a place in the semi-finals.
David Toshevski (15) gave Klagenfurt an early lead after scoring a penalty himself. After the break, Thomas Sabitzer rewarded the home side's greater attacking efforts with the 1:1 (70'). In the 95th minute, Thierno Ballo looked set to become the match-winner with his seventh competitive goal, but Jannik Robatsch (111) saved Klagenfurt from going into the penalty shoot-out. There he missed the last penalty of all things, failing to beat Nikolas Polster. Previously, only Adis Jasic (WAC) and Christopher Cvetko (Klagenfurt) had failed to score, both hitting the crossbar. WAC have now reached at least the quarter-finals in four of their last five Cup appearances. Klagenfurt, like in 2023 (0:1 against Austria), were eliminated in the round of 16.
Wolfsberg missed their first chance through Sabitzer (6th) and then punished themselves. Goalkeeper Lukas Gütlbauer pushed the ball too far forward and caught Toshevski in a tackle in the penalty area, resulting in a highly controversial penalty which the North Macedonian converted safely. Toshevski was also the driving force for the Klagenfurters, but top chances remained scarce until the break. WAC coach Dietmar Kühbauer tried to provide more calm and security by bringing on regular goalkeeper Nikolas Polster. His opposite number was challenged more. Sabitzer failed to beat Simon Spari and was unable to get the follow-up shot on target (68'). Two minutes later, the finish came after an ideally timed feed from Emmanuel Agyemang. An offside goal by Dejan Zukic was disallowed (75'). Zukic missed another chance (77') and set up the chance to score the winner with a free-kick to Dominik Baumgartner, but his header was saved again by Spari (92').
WAC had the better moments in extra time. After preparatory work from Sankara Karamoko, Ballo only had to fire the ball into the empty net from four meters. Ervin Omic (101') and Ballo (102') failed to make it all clear. As a result, Klagenfurt stayed in the game and were able to hit back once more thanks to Robatsch, whose shot was luckily deflected into the goal. Nicolas Binder almost made it 2:3 (119'), but was denied by Polster. In the end, he became the hero with another save from the penalty spot. Klagenfurt, who are without a win in four competitive matches, will get their chance for revenge on Sunday (2.30pm) at the start of the second half of the league season.
Reactions to the Austrian Cup round of 16 match between WAC and Austria Klagenfurt (9:8 on penalties/via ORF)
Dietmar Kühbauer (WAC coach): "I definitely didn't see the penalty. It was an exciting cup game. I would have liked to have finished it earlier, i.e. in the first 90 minutes. We didn't manage that. But at the end of the day, all that matters is that we progressed. There was a lot of tension behind it. I'm glad that we managed to advance after all."
Thorsten Mahrer (Klagenfurt captain): "We gave WAC a fight at eye level over 120 minutes. We were closer to victory in the second half of extra time, but we didn't manage to score another goal, so it had to be decided in a penalty shoot-out. It was the 20th penalty, someone has to get it."
Red Bull Salzburg have put their recent failures behind them and advanced to the quarter-finals of the ÖFB Cup. The runners-up beat league rivals WSG Tirol 3:0 (1:0) in the round of 16 on Wednesday in front of a crowd of just 2,437 spectators. The goals were scored by Karim Konate (35th/penalty), Aleksa Terzic (53rd) and Adam Daghim (84th). In the quarter-finals, LASK, whom they had eliminated in the previous season, awaits again.
Salzburg coach Pepijn Lijnders gave Joane Gadou a chance from the start in central defense for the first time. The 17-year-old Frenchman moved to Salzburg from Paris Saint-Germain at the beginning of September for a reported EUR 10 million transfer fee. In addition, the 18-year-old Edmund Baidoo was another hopeful in the offense. The Bulls struggled in the early stages as the fog rolled in. WSG adopted a very defensive approach in their 5-3-2 system, and Salzburg were visibly unsettled after just one win in their last five competitive matches. It was only after 20 minutes that the favorites took command - but without becoming really compelling at first. A shot from Bobby Clark into the near corner (26') was saved by WSG goalkeeper Adam Stejskal, as was a header from Konate (31').
However, a foul by David Jaunegg on Konate resulted in a penalty - a chance that the Salzburg goalscorer, who was in fine form on the day, did not miss. Another Konate shot went just wide of the goal (40'), and Terzic made the difference after the break: After a shot from Clark, which Stejskal had blocked short, the Serbian dinked the ball into the far corner. Salzburg dominated the game without creating any further major chances. Mads Bidstrup failed to beat Stejskal from close range (61'), Dorgeles Nene hit the outside of the net (74'). The final goal came from substitute Daghim, who scored from a counter-attack after a pass from Konate. Salzburg reached the Cup quarter-finals for the 14th time in a row. However, the nine-time cup winners have not won the cup since 2022.
Reactions to the Austrian Cup round of 16 between Red Bull Salzburg and WSG Tirol (3:0):
Pepijn Lijnders (Salzburg coach): "My team worked hard. It was a good performance. We controlled the game, especially in the second half. We pressed well. This success is important for our self-confidence, as it's not an easy situation for us at the moment. But the team is fighting hard and sticking together. Karim Konate is incredibly talented, he has a lot of power and scored a goal and an assist. It was a test of Joane Gadou's talent, he has continued to grow in the game."
Janis Blaswich (Salzburg captain): "We didn't concede much, scored three times and played to nil. We can build on that. It was two different halves. We struggled in the first half, but dominated them in the second. Now we want to go one better."
Bobby Clark (Salzburg midfielder): "We'll take this as a positive step, but it's only the first step. We scored the goals at the right time."
Philipp Semlic (WSG coach): "Congratulations, it was a deserved win for Salzburg. It wasn't easy for us with our extremely young team, but they did it very courageously. We had four shots on goal in the first 15 minutes, but unfortunately we couldn't score from them. We also had to give up five regular players. It hurts that we went behind through a penalty, which was unjustified. But it was a good experience for my team. We can take a lot from it."
Sturm Graz remain in the race to win their third ÖFB Cup in a row. The domestic double winners defeated Blau-Weiß Linz 2:1 (2:0) in front of almost eleven thousand spectators in the Merkur Arena on Wednesday in the round of 16. Lovro Zvonarek (24') and Erencan Yardimci (33') initially gave Graz a comfortable lead, but Danilo Mitrovic breathed new life into the game (58'). In the quarter-finals (January 31 to February 2), Sturm will face Vienna Austria at home.
Two important tasks await the team from Graz in the coming days with the Bundesliga top match against Rapid on Saturday and the Champions League match at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. For this reason, coach Christian Ilzer rotated his starting eleven for the cup game against Blau-Weiß in five positions. Attackers William Böving and Mika Biereth, among others, were initially on the bench, while Hoffenheim loanee Erencan Yardimci made his first start for the Graz side. Blau-Weiß Linz made only minimal changes compared to the previous Bundesliga match, with only defender Mitrovic moving into the starting line-up. Top striker Ronivaldo was also fit in time after suffering from hip problems.
Storm double strike in the first half
The underdogs from Linz did not hide at the start of the game, had more of the play in the Merkur Arena and also had the first promising opportunity. A direct shot from Simon Pirkl missed the goal by just centimeters (21'). The game then turned. Sturm proved highly efficient after a bumpy start. Zvonarek pushed the ball over the line after a low cross from Yardimci. The 2:0 followed just minutes later when Yardimci deflected a shot from Emir Karic beyond the reach of Blue & White keeper Radek Vitek. Sturm captain Otar Kiteishvili hit the crossbar before the break (40')
With the lead behind them, Sturm seemed to have no problem controlling the game after the break. A set piece then breathed new life into the game. Mitrovic headed home a free-kick from Kristijan Dobras to give the Blue & Whites the lead. At the other end, Linz were lucky when a deflected shot from Tomi Horvat hit the bar (64'). With just over 20 minutes remaining, Ilzer reacted to the tight score and brought on his regular attacking duo of Biereth and Böving. However, like the Blue & White offense, both failed to create any major chances in the closing stages. Sturm ultimately managed to hold on to their narrow lead without any problems.
Reactions to the Austrian Cup round of 16 match between SK Sturm Graz and FC Blau-Weiß Linz (2:1):
Christian Ilzer (Sturm coach): "It was a bumpy start from our side against a very aggressive opponent. But I think we were the better team after the 1:0. The goal we conceded was again the result of a set-piece situation, so we have to adapt better and defend with more energy. However, the team reacted well to the goal we conceded and didn't get into a rush. We needed all the substance we could get for today's win against a very strong opponent. We're in a phase where we have a lot of games coming up. We've got through the cup and are spending the winter in a competition that we all love. Incidentally, I also guessed the draw, at home against Austria Vienna, perfectly."
Tomi Horvat (Sturm player): "It's perfect that we won today and have progressed to the next round. In the end, I think it was a deserved win for us. Now we want to get to the final and win the Cup."
All Cup results here:
Further dates in the UNIQA ÖFB Cup 2024/25:
Quarter-finals: January 31 to February 2, 2025
Semi-finals: April 1-3, 2025
Final: May 1, 2025
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