Austria Wien storms into second Cup round with 5:0 against WSC, Eggestein shines with hat-trick

Eggestein, who had only just moved from SC Freiburg to Vienna, slotted seamlessly into Austria's attacking play. After a cross from Sanel Saljic, a WSC player headed the ball against his own post, and the rebound was converted by the German to make it 2:0 (55'). Just a few minutes later, Eggestein completed his hat-trick with a delicate lob on a counter-attack through Nnodim (58'). Three goals and an assist – the new signing's performance had everything that coach Stephan Helm had hoped for from his prominent attacker.

Dragovic injury dampens the evening

However, the biggest shock moment came for the Violets in the 20th minute when centre-back Aleksandar Dragovic had to be substituted after a heavy collision. The coach expressed his concern after the match: "Es war schon ein ordentlicher Schlag am Hinterkopf. Ich hoffe aber, dass es sonst nichts Schlimmeres ist." The veteran's injury briefly overshadowed Austria's dominant performance, but did not change the course of the match.

WSC chance hits the bar

Shortly before half-time, WSC had their biggest chance until then through a free kick from around 20 metres. The home fans rustled with their keys as usual, and the chipped ball to the right side was nodded onto the bar by Kerim Abazovic from a cross (43'). The woodwork saved Austria from conceding, allowing Helm's team to go into the dressing room with a comfortable 3:0 lead.

Immediately after the restart, captain Manfred Fischer, who had won the ball in the press, played it through Eggestein and Saljic to Sanel Saljic, who left WSC keeper Christoph Haas no chance with a placed inside-of-the-foot shot (50'). The fourth goal was finally the decisive moment in a derby that had been pointed in the right direction early on.

Deshishku crowns debut

The final word was spoken by 18-year-old Hasan Deshishku, who won the ball himself and coolly completed the move to make it 5:0 (75'). For the youngster, who had been celebrated as a U17 hero the day before, it was his first goal in his first professional game – a dream debut. Austria thus underscored the depth of their squad, in which young players like Nnodim and Deshishku seamlessly take on responsibility.

Post-match reactions

WSC coach Stephan Helm drew a positive conclusion on ORF: "Der Spielverlauf hat uns gut in die Karten gespielt." Eggestein, who after coming on immediately turned provider and shortly afterwards goalscorer, added: "Da haben wir dann die Angriffe auch beendet." The coach also emphasised that the team had played "eine ordentliche Partie." Austria avenged with the emphatic win their 1:3 cup defeat at Sport-Club four years ago.

Hartberg struggle in Imst

At the same time, TSV Hartberg laboured to a 3:1 victory at third-division Tirol side SC Imst. At the start of coach Markus Schopp's third tenure, Benjamin Markus (12') and Marco Hoffmann with a penalty (23') gave the East Styrians an early lead, but the underdogs pushed back against the looming defeat. After Alp Demir's equaliser (43'), the match remained tense until the end. New signing Agustin Urrutia, just on as a substitute, missed a penalty in the closing stages (90'), before Jed Drew rescued the favourites (91').

Austria now face the second Cup round, in which the Violets will look to carry their momentum from the derby. Whether Dragovic will be available in time with his knock remains to be seen. Sportingly, however, the performance in Hernals should provide confidence: the Violets impressed both in attack and defence, and with Eggestein have found an attacker who could crucially shape the team in the new season.

The draw for the further Cup rounds will show whether Wiener Austria can continue their path to the cup final. With an eye on the upcoming tasks in the Bundesliga and in international competition, Helm's team has certainly sent a clear signal.