Oberwart's 2-2 draw with Donau marred by offside drama and referee fury
Oberwart were all set to claim their first home win since the winter break—but it wasn't to be. The team had struggled with a disappointing start to the second half of the season, managing just one victory and three losses in a disheartening spring record heading into this weekend. Against SV Donau, three points were a must.
They took an early lead in the eighth minute when Halper found the back of the net, but things quickly unraveled. Just seven minutes later, Miroslav Beljan, the RLO's top scorer, equalized. Oberwart continued to dominate, netting three more goals—only for all three to be ruled out for offside.
Then came the decisive moment just before halftime: Oberwart striker Valdir raced toward goal in a one-on-one with a defender when Donau goalkeeper Jenciragic charged out of his area, colliding with the forward and sending him crashing to the ground. The referee waved play on, seeing no foul. The home side was furious, and their protests earned them three yellow cards in quick succession.
Oberwart did manage to retake the lead in the second half, but a late equalizer in stoppage time left them settling for a frustrating draw.
After the final whistle, Oberwart's sports coordinator Peter Lehner vented his frustration: "That was a clear red card. We would have had a man advantage for 50 minutes, and Donau would have been without a keeper—they didn't even have a backup on the bench. What's worst is that the assistant and the observerstill defended the call after reviewing the video. At least the referee apologized. From our perspective, this was a blatant mistake bordering onoutrageous injustice."
