SK Austria Klagenfurt had to swallow a second successive defeat on Sunday. A week after the 0-3 at Treibach, the Violets were unable to produce the hoped-for response at WAC Amateure either. Austria struggled to find their rhythm for long spells and ultimately had to accept a 2-0 (1-0) defeat.
After the difficult outing in Treibach, the side had set itself high targets for the away trip to St. Andrä. The opening phase was evenly balanced, with both teams finding it hard to create danger in front of goal.
After around 25 minutes, Austria made their first attacking statement. A dangerous long-range effort from the Violets headed towards the far corner, but WAC keeper David Skubl was able to parry the ball.
Shortly afterwards, Manuel Kuttin took centre stage at the other end. Following a foul in the box, referee Holger Dietz pointed to the spot in the 32nd minute. Niklas Ramsbacher took on the responsibility, but Kuttin guessed the right corner and saved the penalty.
Austria were forced into an early change before the break, with Michael Tributsch replacing Luka Verbič in the 39th minute. Soon after, the Violets fell behind after all: Ramsbacher made it 1-0 in the 44th minute, and that was the score at half-time.
An improvement was needed after the restart. Austria tried to build more pressure going forward, but still found the necessary solutions too rarely in their attacking play. Clear-cut chances were lacking, and the substitutions made during the second half did not bring the hoped-for turnaround either.
That kept the game open for a long time, with the Violets still within striking distance at just one goal down. The equaliser never came, though. Instead, the game was settled in the 86th minute: Peter Spannring made it 2-0 to seal a second away defeat within a week.
After the two defeats in Treibach and St. Andrä, the task now is to work through the recent performances and bring back onto the pitch the consistency and intensity that had marked the team out in the weeks before.
The next chance to do so comes as early as Friday, 9 October, when Austria are back in front of their own fans. Kick-off against SVG Bleiburg at the Wörthersee Stadion is at 19:20.
