Linzer ASK is facing its first crisis of the season. © APA / EXPA/UWE WINTER

“Top 3 most unfair defeats”: LASK’s false start complete

LASK's poor start to the new Bundesliga season has been a given since Saturday at the latest. The coach found the latest defeat particularly bitter – in two respects.

August 31, 2025

From: apa

The 1-3 home defeat in the Upper Austrian derby against Ried marked Linz's fourth defeat in the first five matches – the fact that it was unfortunate was the main topic of conversation among the athletes afterward. "I have twelve years of experience in football, and this is among the top three most unfair games of my life. The better team lost," said LASK coach Joao Sacramento.

His team missed numerous chances and hit the woodwork four times. "We're not managing to finish in front of goal at the moment, and every mistake we make is being punished," complained Sacramento. The former assistant to Jose Mourinho picked up just three points from the first five matches with Linz, but was nevertheless given the confidence of sporting director Dino Buric. Sacramento announced that they would work hard during the international break and be "pragmatic and honest" in their analysis.

LASK misses Zulj's qualities

The Portuguese can't expect any new players in the remaining transfer window, and Buric considers the current squad to be good. However, there are problems, especially at the front line – partly due to the proliferation of chances, and partly due to the injury to Maximilian Entrup, who was sidelined for a short time on Saturday due to back problems. The loss of Robert Zulj is all the more significant. "We don't have a player like him in our ranks at the moment," admitted Sacramento.

Rieder “don’t know how they won”

Valon Berisha also mourns the loss of the creative spirit who moved to Thailand and who had scored 25 points last season. "He was always decisive in the final third, which is what we're missing right now." The midfielder was somewhat stunned after the defeat. "It should be 5-0 for us at halftime," Berisha declared on Sky and said to Ried: "They don't even know how they won." Berisha also criticized referee Arnes Talic. "Every 50-50 decision was in Ried's favor. That takes the air out of the game and also does something to you mentally."

The Linz team wasn't entirely satisfied with the referee's performance. © APA / EXPA/UWE WINTER

For Ried, the mood swung in the opposite direction. "A wonderful day for the fans and the team," summed up coach Maximilian Senft, practically giving the order to party. "The boys should use the break to celebrate; we've had a tough schedule behind us." The newly promoted team currently has seven points and has defeated three Upper Austrian rivals within a week – Blau-Weiß Linz, Union Gurten in the cup, and now LASK.