Ried Laments Cup Exit: "The Game Was 30 Seconds Too Long"

"...then it really hurts"

Accordingly, the mood among the Innviertlers after the game was somber, as Philip Pomer explains: "It's very disappointing, it feels like last week against Sturm."

"We are dejected now. It would have been wonderful, but that's football. We concede a goal from a center-back with the last shot, one he probably doesn't score that often - and then it really hurts," Schwab recounts. "We already had one foot in the quarter-finals."

Until then, Ried had distinguished itself by its efficiency – in contrast to their rivals from Linz. Kühbauer's team had significantly more of the game until halftime, but Yusuf Maart (36.) scored the opener. Shortly after the break, Isaac Thelin even extended the lead to 2-0, again through a quick counter-attack. However, LASK's response through Joao Tornich followed promptly.

test — Yusuf Maart traf bis zum Cup-Achtelfinale gegen den LASK noch nie für die Rieder. Im OÖ-Derby schnürte er sogar einen Doppelpack, zum 3:1 traf der 1,70m große Südafrikaner per Kopf.
Foto: ©GEPA

In a phase where LASK was heavily pressing for the equalizer, SVR struck again clinically. Maart, who had yet to score in a Ried jersey before this game, extended the lead to 3-1 after 76 minutes.

Last-Minute Setback

Despite a final offensive by the hosts, including Robert Ljubicic's goal to make it 2-3, it seemed as if Despotovic's team would hold onto the lead until the finish line - until Xavier Mbuyamba still made it 3-3 in the last minute of injury time.

"The game was 30 seconds too long, I would say," says head coach Mario Despotovic, speaking of a "very tough game for the players" in which he himself also suffered greatly.

Because in the 111th minute, Moses Usor finally gave Linz the lead, and Samuel Adeniran (120.) sealed the deal, rendering Pomer's late goal insignificant.

Wir sind gewachsen in den letzten Wochen.

Stefan Schwab

Despite the bitter derby defeat, leading player Schwab views the team's development positively:

"You can see what strides we've made compared to the first game of the season, where we lost 1-4." According to Schwab, the gap to their rivals has been closed: "We have grown in recent weeks and were really close to reaching the quarter-finals in this stadium."

Impending Chance for Revenge

However, Ried can soon take revenge for the derby defeat.

Next Saturday, the next Upper Austria derby is scheduled in Innviertel. "Of course, revenge would be good. Then we'll play at home, and I believe it will be a different game," says Despotovic.