Pregame
Klagenfurt’s Wörthersee stadium hosted Maccabi Tel Aviv for the Conference League group stage second Match day against LASK. With both teams winning their respective first matches against Alashkert of Armenia and HJK Helsinki, Maccabi had a tough task on their hands against the Austrians who won in Finland. Several absentees were missing from Maccabi’s squad as Enric Saborit, Avi Rikan, Maor Kandil, Idan Nachmias and Eyal Golasa didn’t travel while Tal Ben Chaim was also withdrawn in the last minute.
Patrick van Leeuwen made a single change from the side that was beaten in Be’ersheva last weekend as Shahar Piven replaced the injured Nachmias at the heart of defence. Daniel Peretz kept his place in goal with Luis Hernandez partnering Piven right in-front of the 21-year-old keeper while Andre Gerlades and Ofir Davidzada completing the back-four.
The midfield remained unchanged with captain Sheran Yeini and Dan Glazer as the two anchor-men while Dan Biton was at the top of the midfield trio. Gabi Kanichowsky and Brandley Kuwas were assigned to both wings in support of Croatian striker Stipe Perica who led the line.
First Half
Four minutes after the start Maccabi reached their first chance as Dan Biton released Gabi Kanichowsky into the area, but the diminutive winger who raced clear through, was judged to have been offside. In the 10th minute however the hosts took the lead as a cross from the left was flicked by Thomas Goiginger onto the post before Sacha Horvath reacted first to bury in the opener past Daniel Peretz. LASK came close to double their lead a minute later as Alexander Schmidt received the ball behind Maccabi’s defensive line only to be denied by Peretz who charged off his line to squander the chance.
Dan Glazer came close with a header that went wide on 15 following a Dan Biton corner. Two minutes later Biton released Stipe Perica who was put under pressure by a Lask defender before the tall Croat sent his shot over the crossbar. Right on the half hour mark Goiginger skipped past a Glazer tackle, raced through the middle and fired a powerful low drive that Peretz pushed out for a corner.
Second Half
With no changes at halftime, Maccabi reached a good chance in the 55th minute as Perica timed his run well to ghost behind Lask’s defense but failed to connect onto Kanichowsky’s delicate chip. Two minutes later Kanichowsky tried a shot from the edge of the area that sailed high and wide of the target. Biton went into the referee’s book for a mistimed tackle in the 60th minute before Peretz and Andre Geraldes rescued Maccabi from conceding a second. Van Leeuwen reacted as he made a double change replacing Biton and Brandley Kuwas with Matan Hozez and Eduardo Guerrero on 62.
Van Leeuwen made two more changes in the 71st minute as Eden Shamir replaced Sheran Yeini while Osama Khalaila came in for Perica. In the 87th minute Van Leeuwen’s changes paid off as two of the substitutes combined for the equaliser. Davidzada found Guerrero on the edge of the Lask area before the Panamanian’s shot come cross was deflected in by Shamir for his second Maccabi goal in Europe. Boosted by the late equaliser Hozez came close in injury time with a shot from inside the area that goalkeeper Alexander Schlager caught with relative ease.
