Hartberg took all three points against Ried in the Austrian Bundesliga on Sunday, winning 3:2 at the Profertil Arena. The result extends the home side's unbeaten run to two games, by then, after a string of defeats that had seen them slip to twelfth in the table.
M. Hoffmann opened the scoring with a penalty in the sixth minute, but S. Chukwudi equalised just five minutes later. Hoffmann restored Hartberg's lead before half-time with a second goal in the 38th minute. Ried had more possession but could not find the breakthrough, and Hartberg went into the break with one goal to spare.
The second half changed direction quickly. E. E. Aisowieren pulled Ried level in the 64th minute and J. Karner's strike in the 71st minute looked like it might decide the match — until Ried found another equaliser. Hartberg held on, and the late Karner goal proved decisive after all. Things came to a head in those final minutes when Ried threw bodies forward but Hartberg's defence stayed compact.
By then the statistics told their own story. Ried dominated possession at 59 per cent and won the corner battle 4:3, but both sides registered five shots on target. Hartberg were more efficient with their chances — three goals from five attempts on target. And here's the thing: many shots with one goal means chances went begging, and that is what happened for Ried despite their control of the ball.
The result leaves Hartberg on three points from four games, still rooted to twelfth. Ried move up to eighth with four points, having ended a run of two consecutive losses. Both sides had their chances, and Hartberg simply snatched it at the death when it mattered most.