Comeback Falls Short – Vienna Amateurs Lose to Stadlau
In round 24 of the Wiener Stadtliga, the Vienna Amateurs aimed to pick up important points on their way to the championship as they faced third-place Stadlau. However, the game quickly took a different direction, and in the end, the Tuna XI had to accept a 2-4 defeat.
Early Goals Take the Wind Out of Vienna's Sails
The Döbling team started the match with good passing play, but they were unable to turn this into clear scoring chances. Less than 15 minutes into the game, the first blow came for Vienna: Manuel Cerba scored with a curled shot to make it 1-0. The early goal left the Blau-Gelb players a bit stunned, and just three minutes later, Lukas Heinicker added another goal for Stadlau, converting a free kick low into the corner for a 2-0 lead. The hosts were in control, although both goal scorers had to be substituted due to injury during the first half.
After everything went against Vienna in the first 20 minutes, the team began to find their rhythm and created a few dangerous chances, the most notable being a shot that hit the crossbar in the 27th minute. In the midst of this brief recovery, another blow came for Vienna: Oskar Weitmayr, who had replaced the injured Louis Birkhahn for the remainder of the season, had to leave the field due to injury as well. Luka Babic came on in his place. Shortly after, the referee blew the whistle for halftime.
Double Blow After the Break Seals the Fate
Vienna’s coach Gökce Tuna made a change at halftime, bringing on Dzibric for Zeidler. However, just a few minutes after the restart, the ball was in the back of the net again. Krystian Gora scored from a corner kick in the 49th minute to make it 3-0 for Stadlau. Vienna was visibly demoralized, and things got worse just 60 seconds later when an own goal by the substitute Amar Dzibric made it 4-0. The leaders of the Wiener Stadtliga could only watch as the Stadlau team celebrated their fourth goal.
Vienna's Late Push Not Enough
In the 55th minute, Vienna finally showed signs of life: after a scramble in the box, Karl Höflich scored to make it 4-1, sparking faint hopes for a comeback. These hopes grew a little stronger minutes later when a shot hit the outside of the post. The Vienna Amateurs were not giving up just yet. In the following minutes, the game calmed down a bit, but the referee became the center of attention as he let a lot of play continue, only issuing a yellow card to Stadlau’s coach Senad Mujakic in the final phase of the match.
Second Vienna Goal Comes Too Late
In the 82nd minute, it got interesting again when Felix Nagele pulled one back for Vienna, making it 4-2. In the remaining minutes, Vienna fought hard and created several good chances. The Stadlau defense was now focused entirely on defending. The final action of the match was a free kick for the visitors from about 20 meters, but it was blocked by the wall. Shortly after, the referee blew the final whistle, and after four consecutive wins, Gökce Tuna’s team had to accept a 2-4 defeat. However, due to SV Donau’s loss to Dinamo Helfort, Vienna remains in first place in the Wiener Stadtliga, though the lead is still only two points.
Coach Tuna Takes Responsibility for the Loss
After the match, coach Gökce Tuna took responsibility, both for the team's performance and his own mistakes: “We gave away too many outs, which we should have avoided, and it was all too easy for them. These are things we need to avoid, especially away in a top match. When corners are taken, we don’t have anyone in the six-yard box, and that’s my fault for not seeing that. I should have corrected that. I hope we learn from this and play these games more intelligently.”
Tuna also had some words about the referee: “If referees let the game go like that, you’ll have injuries every week because allowing rugby-style play in football is not ideal, and players need to be protected.”
FC Stadlau vs. First Vienna FC Amateurs 4:2 (2:0)
Wiener Stadtliga, 24th Round
Saturday, May 3, 2025, 16:00
Sportanlage Stadlau, 200 spectators
Goals: 1:0 Cerba (15'), 2:0 Heinicker (18'), 3:0 Gora (50'), 4:0 Dzibric (51', own goal), 4:1 Höflich (55'), 4:2 Nagele (82')
Vienna: Troindl, Pistrol, Nagele, Huskovic, Krammer (74' Saidi), Valtchev, Zeidler (46' Dzibric, 74' Milic), Höflich, Zahirovic, Stogiannidis, Weitmayr (40' Babic)
