Title chance over after defeat

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FC Red Bull Salzburg

·10 Mei 2026

Title chance over after defeat

Too little, too late at leaders

In the penultimate round of the ADMIRAL Bundesliga, we suffered a 1-2 defeat against LASK. LASK capitalised on two throw-ins within minutes to score twice, before Karim Konate pulled one back shortly before the final whistle. With this loss, we unfortunately have to bow out of the title race with one round remaining.

Match summary

On the penultimate matchday of the ADMIRAL Bundesliga, we traveled to Linz, where LASK had the chance to clinch only their second league title after 1965 in front of their home crowd. It was a special atmosphere, but we were determined not to lose sight of our own ambitions.

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The match started energetically, if with a slightly wild tone. We were the more active team from the outset as Maurits Kjaegaard tested the opposing goalkeeper for the first time in the 8th minute after a good pass from Yorbe Vertessen. The hosts initially played cautiously as a draw seemed to be their top priority in order to keep their title hopes alive. The clearest chance of the opening phase came our way: Stefan Lainer delivered a promising cross to Vertessen in the 16th minute, but the Belgian's header sailed just over the bar. Shots on goal, possession, rhythm of play – everything was in our Red Bulls' favour in this period. From the 25th minute onward, Linz also found their footing. Alex Schlager reacted quickly to deny a dangerous shot from Cisse following a free kick. Then the game turned in the decisive phase before the break. In the 33rd minute, a throw-in from Usor was headed on by Tornich into the danger zone, and Adeniran nodded home to make it 1-0. LASK drew new energy from this: Just three minutes later, another throw-in proved decisive, and Andrade curled the ball against the post, with Jörgensen pouncing on the rebound to make it 2-0.

The second half started slowly. Linz managed their lead comfortably, and we struggled to find a way through them. Kerim Alajbegovic finally provided a glimmer of hope with a powerful long-range shot that hit the post (56'), and he tried again in the 70th minute with a dangerous long-range effort. Daniel Beichler made some substitutions, including Karim Konate who distributed instructions from the coaching staff to his team-mates on notes. The first signs of life were immediately apparent. In the 71st minute, Eddie Baidoo laid the ball off to Onisiwo, who, however, was unlucky to shoot from close range. Three minutes later, Baidoo himself hit the crossbar with a hapless volley from the six-yard box. The consolation goal finally came from a throw-in: Drexler launched the ball deep into the center, where Konate headed it home to make it 1-2 (87'). However, that was all we could muster today.

Despite the victory, LASK haven't sealed the title just yet, as Sturm Graz also won their match. After this evening, it's clear to us that first and second place, and thus Champions League qualification, are no longer attainable. We now have to defend third place on the final matchday. This coming Sunday, we host Hartberg at 14:30 CEST at the Red Bull Arena for our final match of the season. As part of our Family Matchday, we are offering free children's tickets and a full programme of activities starting at 11:30.

€12,200 raised for a good cause

As part of the Wings for Life World Run, which also took place today, we ran together today for a good cause. Together we covered 121.93 kilometers, which corresponds to a donation of €12,200 to the Wings for Life Foundation, which directly funds spinal cord research.

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It's incredibly disappointing for two reasons. Firstly, because in my opinion it's completely undeserved that we go home empty-handed. Secondly, because it's now a fact that we're not in the title race on the final matchday. It hurts, but I can't blame the lads. We were overwhelmingly dominant for the first 30 minutes, playing well – and then conceded those goals out of nowhere. It feels absolutely awful. At the same time, we can't realistically claim the title if we only manage one point from three games in the crucial final stages of the championship.

Daniel Beichler

We got off to a good start, had the game under control, but we knew that LASK are strong at set pieces. We were inattentive there, then we conceded, and immediately afterwards, it was 0-2. That was the end of our 30 decent minutes. Our goal came too late. Today it was definitely a lack of efficiency, as two or three more chances should have gone in. You have to make them count.

Karim Onisiwo

The coaching team set us up well, but in reality, we threw away our chance with two or three set pieces. We were too complacent and therefore didn't deserve it – no matter how well we started. We lost nothing in the title race that way. Now we have to prepare for next season so we're better equipped!

Stefan Lainer

Match summary

Line-ups & substitutions

LASK: Jungwirth – Cisse, Tornich, Andrade – Jörgensen (90. Flecker), Bogarde, Horvath ©, Bello – Kalajdzic (61. Danek) – Usor (64. Lang), Adeniran (90. Mbuyamba) FC Red Bull Salzburg: Schlager © – Lainer, Schuster, Drexler, Krätzig (86. Aguilar) – Diabate (70. Baidoo) – Kitano, Kjaergaard – Redzic (55. Alajbegovic), Onisiwo, Vertessen (70. Konate)

Referee: Markus Hameter Goals: Adeniran (33.), Jörgensen (36.) - Konate (87.) Yellow cards: Danek (88./Foul), Cisse (90.+2/Unsporting behavour) - None Attendance: 19,000