UEFA Europa League

From TT – September 21, 2023 8:40 p.m. (act. September 22, 2023 7:10 a.m.)

LASK held up well against it ©GEPA

LASK lost 3-1 to Liverpool FC at the start of the Europa League group phase, but showed a committed and courageous performance. It was a similar story for runner-up Sturm Graz, the Styrians also led 1-0 against Sporting, but lost 2-1 in the end.

For LASK, the group phase of the UEFA Europa League started with a real banger. Because none other than the great Liverpool FC was a guest at the Raiffeisenstadion in Linz, or Oberösterreich-Arena, as it is called on the international stage.

Even though Reds coach Jürgen Klopp decided to rest countless well-known players, the English were the favorites. Because with van Dijk, Gravenberch, Nunez, Endo & Co, the guests still had a lot of quality on the field. Nevertheless, the people of Linz did not freeze in awe, on the contrary.

Flecker nets

Florian Flecker put his team in front after 14 minutes with a remarkable shot from a corner. The 27-year-old briefly stopped the ball after a long corner outside the penalty area and held on to it; Kelleher in the Liverpool goal had no chance to defend.

The “Reds” had significantly more possession of the ball, but the Upper Austrians managed to keep their opponents as far away from their own goal as possible. It only became really dangerous twice, once Nunez aimed too high, later LASK keeper Lawal made a strong save against the attacker from Uruguay (36th). So the athletes went into the break with a narrow lead.

Elfer brings a change

Klopp initially, somewhat surprisingly, did not make any personnel changes to his team; he continued to trust his starting eleven. After 56 minutes, defender Ziereis hit his opponent, the referee only hesitated briefly and pointed to the spot. Darwin Nunez stepped up and scored to make it 1-1.

Former Salzburg player Szoboszlai, among others, also came into play at Liverpool FC and the equalizer gave the guests self-confidence. With perhaps the best attack to date via Elliot and Gravenberch, the “Reds” then took the lead; Luis Diaz had no trouble finishing from close range (63′).

At least at times the English showed their class, but LASK continued to hold up well. Nevertheless, it was Salah, who was also a substitute, who made the final score 1:3 from the Upper Austrians’ perspective (88th). This means that Liverpool FC won after coming from behind (as they have done several times in the Premier League). The Sageder team won’t gain any points from this duel, but they will certainly take valuable experience with them. In the parallel game of Group E, Royal Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse played out a 1-1 draw.

The other results of the early EL games:

Bayer Leverkusen – Häcken 4:0, Panathinaikos – Villareal 2:0, Qarabag – Molde 1:0, Rennes – Maccabi Haifa 3:0, Servette – Slavia Prague 0:2, Sheriff Tiraspol – AS Roma 1:2

Sturm gives away leadership

The second Austrian EL representative, runner-up Sturm Graz, also started the group phase with a home game. The Styrians wanted to start with a positive experience against the traditional team Sporting Lisbon.

There was little action in front of both goals in the first half, the best opportunity for the “Blackies” came after five minutes, but a header from Kiteishvili was preyed upon by guest keeper Adan. Otherwise, the game was relatively even, Sturm allowed almost nothing, but the Ilzer team didn’t get much forward either. Overall, both teams lost too many balls and the flow of the game suffered as a result. In this context, one must also mention the catastrophic condition of the lawn in Graz-Liebenau.

After the restart, less than two minutes had been played before Sturm goalkeeper Scherpen had to really prove his class for the first time that evening. When Trincao headed the ball, the keeper stretched and prevented his team from falling behind.

Guided tour by Böving

Almost out of nowhere, the home team was able to celebrate the opening goal. Kiteishvili hit the post with a long-range shot, and Böving sank the rebound to make it 1-0 for Graz (57′). Almost ten minutes later the Graz goalkeeper was the focus again. Scherpen made a sensational save from close range against Paulinho and Inacio and held on to the lead.

Sporting turns the game around

However, the Dutchman looked a bit unhappy when he equalized. The keeper fended off a shot from Goncalves and Györkeres scored to make it 1-1 (76′). From a domestic perspective, things would get even worse a little later. After a free kick, Diomande got the ball in the penalty area, let an opponent get out and shot. The shot was unstoppably deflected by a teammate and the Portuguese were leading (83′).

Sturm showed a reaction and was unlucky because a shot from Horvat narrowly missed its target, and the equalizer almost came straight away in the Styrian capital. But this shouldn’t fall in the five minutes of added time and so SK Sturm lost the opening match against Lisbon 1:2 after an appealing performance.

Leaders of the table after the first matchday in this Group D are Atalanta Bergamo, the Italians defeated European Cup newcomers and Polish champions Rakow 2-0 in front of their own fans.

The other results of the late EL games:

Ajax – Marseille 3:3, Brighton – AEK Athens 2:3, Olympiakos – Freiburg 2:3, Rangers – Betis 1:0, Sparta Prague – Aris Limassol 3:2, West Ham – TSC 3:1

2023-09-21 22:44:03
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