LASK and Red Bull Salzburg advance to the next ÖFB Cup round with clear victories

Andrade breaks the deadlock

After the restart, Christoph Lang headed in to make it 2:0 (54') and soon after added a well-placed low shot from the edge of the box for 3:0 (62'). The attacker thus definitively became the man of the evening. "Das 2:0 hat es einfacher gemacht, danach ist alles etwas leichter gegangen", said the four-goal scorer Lang.

But the evening was not yet over for Lang. The 24-year-old initially missed his third goal of the game at point-blank range following a cross from Samuel Adeniran, but was ultimately able to celebrate a third time. In the 78th minute, another scorer extended the lead before the closing stages became a demonstration of Linz's superiority.

Painful: Harakate picks up an injury

Samuel Adeniran tapped in the 4:0 (70'), and Lang converted a penalty to make it 5:0 (79'). New signing Peter Michorl put the cherry on top of an altogether successful evening, scoring the 7:0 against the team of his uncle Josef Michorl (90').

However, the evening also had a painful downside for LASK. Striker signing Ramiz Harakate, who had only moved to Linz from GAK in the summer, was injured in the first half and watched the second 45 minutes from the touchline on crutches. The severity of the injury was initially unclear.

Salzburg make a successful start under Röhl

At the same time, Red Bull Salzburg provided a successful debut for new head coach Danny Röhl. At third-tier side SV Oberwart, who had famously snatched a 1:2 from Rapid in the previous season, the Bulls wrapped things up early. Edmund Baidoo (8') and Yorbe Vertessen (11') took their early chances and set the course for victory early on.

Oberwart reduced the deficit through Michael Hutter in the 35th minute after a fine individual effort to make it 1:3, but before the break Gaoussou Diakite restored the previous margin from the penalty spot (33'). New first-choice goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky also had to pick the ball out of his net early on before Salzburg got the game fully under control.

In Burgenland, little went the hosts' way after the break either. Damir Redzic (54', 89'), captain Nikolas Veratschnig (76') and Sota Kitano (80') translated Salzburg's superiority onto the scoresheet. Veratschnig, who had moved to Salzburg from Mainz in the summer, had already shown his eye for goal in the friendlies and now also added his name to the official scorers' list.

The result underlines the squad overhaul at Salzburg. With Lang, Veratschnig, Zawieschitzky and several other new signings, a heavily changed team took the field. Röhl, who has only been in charge of the Bulls for a short time, was able to enjoy an altogether successful competitive debut.

Other Bundesliga sides also progress

In the other cup-opening fixtures, the Bundesliga sides came through as expected. With GAK (4:0 at SV Donaufeld), another top-flight club advanced comfortably to the next round. In the Innsbruck derby between second-division newcomers Wacker and local rivals Reichenau, the favourites ran out 3:0 winners.

Hertha Wels are also through to the next round, having won 2:1 at VfB Hohenems in Vorarlberg. The goals for the Wels side were scored by Kregar (12') and Freund (38'). The number of underdogs who managed to hold their own against higher-division teams in this round has therefore remained modest.

Looking ahead to the second round

For the lower divisions, cup football once again highlights the huge quality gap. While Salzburg, LASK and GAK took advantage of their superior class with ease, Oberwart at least put up a decent fight in the opening half-hour. The home side from Burgenland had after all given Rapid a real run for their money the previous season.

Attention now turns to the draw for the second round. The teams face further challenges before the competition enters its hot phase. In personnel terms, however, LASK have been handed a setback by Harakate's injury, which could affect the Linz side's squad planning.