LASK were the first Austrian side in action on Wednesday, and their 3-0 defeat at Celtic was one of the stranger European matches of recent times. The Linz side registered 20 attempts, eight of them on target, and also led the xG count by roughly 1.70 to 0.80. Two LASK goals were disallowed for offside, while Celtic were exceptionally clinical with their opportunities. Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring before Camilo Duran struck twice. The result leaves Dietmar Kühbauer’s team with a huge task, although their performance at Celtic Park was considerably better than the 3-0 scoreline suggests.
Salzburg rewarded at the very end
Salzburg find themselves in a much more comfortable position. Danny Röhl’s side won their Europa League play-off first leg 1-0 away to Swedish champions Mjällby AIF, although they had to remain patient until the very end.
The visitors controlled long spells of the first half and created several openings against Mjällby’s compact defence. Goalkeeper Robin Wallinder was in excellent form, however, producing a number of saves to keep his team level. Salzburg had the better of the game but initially lacked precision in the decisive moments.
The balance shifted after the break. Mjällby became more adventurous and began creating dangerous situations of their own. Things became particularly uncomfortable for Salzburg around the hour mark: first, the home side threatened following a quick counter-attack, before Tom Pettersson headed against the crossbar from a corner. Salzburg responded by introducing fresh attacking options, including Karim Konaté and Maurits Kjaergaard.
For a long time, the match appeared destined to finish goalless. Mjällby’s resistance was only broken in stoppage time. Konaté sent a dangerous ball into the penalty area, Wallinder managed to get a slight touch, and Pettersson inadvertently turned the ball into his own net while attempting to clear. The experienced defender was particularly frustrated afterwards that his side had failed to stay alert in the final moments.
The late goal is hugely valuable for Salzburg. It was not a vintage performance in Hällevik, but the Austrian side are now in an excellent position: even a draw at home will be enough to reach the Europa League league phase. Should they still be eliminated, Salzburg would at least drop into the Conference League.
Rapid suddenly lose control
SK Rapid can also be reasonably satisfied with their position ahead of the return leg. Their 2-2 draw away to Heart of Midlothian, however, is a result that will leave the Green-Whites with mixed feelings.
Rapid looked extremely composed during the first half at a lively Tynecastle Park. Johannes Hoff Thorup’s side were not unsettled by the atmosphere, defended attentively and appeared the more mature team in possession. Hearts enjoyed spells on the ball but offered little penetration, while goalkeeper Beau Reus was forced into several interventions at the other end to keep the Scottish side in the contest.
Rapid deservedly took the lead after half an hour. Serge-Philippe Raux-Yao rose highest to meet a Seidl cross and headed home for 1-0. Until the break, the visitors largely controlled proceedings and gave little indication that the match might still slip away from them.
Yet that is exactly what happened within the space of seven minutes early in the second half. In the 55th minute, Josh McPake delivered the ball into a dangerous area and Raux-Yao unfortunately diverted it into his own net. Rapid then lost their shape for no obvious reason. Hearts, who had hardly looked threatening until that point, suddenly found energy – and quickly struck again.
Wouter Vrancken introduced James Wilson, and the 19-year-old needed little time to turn the match around. In the 62nd minute, he tried his luck from distance and produced an excellent finish, with goalkeeper Hedl positioned too far off his line, to make it 2-1. A game Rapid had largely controlled had turned into a deficit in a matter of minutes.
Rapid deserve credit, however, for their response. Thorup introduced Nikolaus Wurmbrand and Nicolas Bajlicz, and the visitors immediately became more purposeful again. Only a few minutes after coming on, Wurmbrand scored the deserved equaliser in the 79th minute. Rapid even pushed for a winner afterwards but ultimately had to settle for 2-2. Hearts could also thank Reus, whose several important saves prevented an away victory for the Vienna side.
Considering the opening 45 minutes, Rapid could certainly have come away with more. Their position ahead of the return leg is nevertheless a good one: a home victory will take them into the Conference League league phase. The key will be to avoid another inexplicable spell like the one after half-time and reproduce the stability shown in the first half for longer periods against a largely ordinary opponent.
Austria face a two-goal deficit
The most difficult task among the three Austrian sides who played on Thursday awaits FK Austria Wien. The Violets lost 2-0 away to SC Braga and therefore need to overturn at least a two-goal deficit in the return leg.
The build-up to the game had been unusual. Braga had been hit by a major gastroenteritis outbreak in the preceding days. At one stage, the Portuguese club had only ten players available – three of them goalkeepers. Their league match against Gil Vicente scheduled for Sunday was therefore postponed. Players gradually returned to training over the following days, however, meaning the situation had improved considerably by the time Braga faced Austria.
The visitors competed well for long periods against the clear favourites and survived phases in which Braga’s greater individual quality became apparent. After the break, Austria even grew into the contest. Stephan Helm’s team became braver, pressed higher up the pitch and enjoyed their best spell of the evening, but could not turn it into the crucial away goal.
That proved costly. Braga were more composed in the decisive moments and eventually punished Austria. Their second goal gave the Portuguese side a comfortable cushion ahead of the return leg and underlined one quality that has been evident throughout their European qualifying campaign: this is an extremely difficult team to break down.
Braga had already beaten Železničar Pančevo 1-0 and 4-0 before recording a 1-0 win and a 0-0 draw against Dinamo Minsk. Following the 2-0 victory over Austria, they have now played five qualifying matches without conceding a single goal.
That is precisely the problem facing the Violets. Austria need to score at least twice in Vienna, and finding the net has not exactly come easily in recent weeks. They managed only two goals in their opening three Bundesliga rounds, both in the 2-0 victory at Hartberg. Austria failed to score against both WAC and LASK. Braga, meanwhile, are still yet to concede in European competition this season. Helm’s side will therefore require not only patience but considerably greater efficiency in attack.
The second legs
LASK host Celtic at the Oberösterreich Arena on Tuesday, 25 August, at 21:00. A day later, SK Rapid welcome Heart of Midlothian to the Allianz Stadion at 18:45. Salzburg face Mjällby at home on Thursday, 27 August, at 19:00, before FK Austria Wien attempt to overturn their 2-0 deficit against Braga from 20:30.
