Bundesliga

SCR Altach against Grazer AK – LIVE from 5pm

Important away win for GAK

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SCR Altach also failed to break free at the start of the spring season in the Bundesliga. The Vorarlberg side conceded a 2-1 defeat in the basement duel with GAK at the Cashpoint Arena on Saturday and are already five points behind the Athletiker after 17 games.

It was the 14th winless game in a row for the bottom club, who have yet to win under coach Fabio Ingolitsch.

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Graz came out on top thanks to goals from Daniel Maderner (61') and Jacob Italiano (75'). After two defeats at the end of the autumn, there was an important sense of achievement. A goal from neo-striker Marlon Mustapha (81') was not enough for Altacher. Immediately before that, Alexander Gorgon, another of the home side's "jokers", had been shown the red card for a rude tackle on his comeback in the Bundesliga.

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Three new signings each in the starting eleven
Both teams started with three winter signings. For Altachern, returnees Benedikt Zech and Steve Noode formed two thirds of the back three, while German Florian Dietz was also given a go in attack. Graz opted for a new goalkeeper in Florian Wiegele due to his size advantage over Jakob Meierhofer, with Antonio Tikvic in front of him in the back three and Sadik Fofana in the center of midfield.

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Altach already had more than 70 percent possession before the break and won significantly more tackles, but the first goal almost came from the other side. Murat Satin provided the first highlight with a free-kick from around 25 meters, which hit the crossbar after a high clearance (24'). At the other end of the pitch, Wiegele had to make his first save in the 32nd minute with a Fridrikas shot from eleven meters.

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Two goals from the spot
Altach's lead was then in the air. First, a Dietz header from a Lukacevic cross hit the bar (42'), and in stoppage time of the first half, Luca Kronberger's free-kick from an acute angle did the same. The attacking player was substituted by the 36-year-old Gorgon in the 56th minute. He and his team immediately suffered a setback. Altach goalkeeper Dejan Stojanovic came out of his goal to receive a pass from Christian Lichtenberger and missed the ball. The "joker" crossed for Maderner, who had no trouble finishing into an empty net.

Altachern were unable to find a way out of their predicament, even with Mustapha coming on as a substitute in the 71st minute. Graz found more space on the counter-attack and sealed the deal. Satin (71) and Maderner (74) missed, but Italiano made it 2:0 by heading a Satin cross into the net. When Gorgon was sent off after a kick on the Achilles tendon by Thorsten Schriebl following a VAR review, everything seemed to be over. In the very next action, however, Mustapha luckily pushed the ball over the line. This set up a thrilling final phase.

SCR Altach - GAK 1:2 (0:0)

Altach, Cashpoint Arena, SR Ebner

Goals: 0:1 (61.) Maderner, 0:2 (75.) Italiano, 1:2 (81.) Mustapha

Altach: Stojanovic - Zech, Koller, Noode (46. Milojevic) - Bähre - S. Ingolitsch, Demaku (84. Fadinger), Kronberger (56. Gorgon), Lukacevic (84. Gebauer) - Fridrikas (71. Mustapha), Dietz

GAK: Wiegele - Graf, Filipovic, Tikvic - Italiano (88. Kleinheisler), Fofana, Perchtold (46. Schriebl/95. Kreuzriegler), Rosenberger (46. Lichtenberger/95. Vucic) - Frieser, Maderner, Satin

Red card: Gorgon (80./Foul)

Yellow cards: Noode, Milojevic or Filipovic, Graf