Nußdorf Outlasts Ferlach in Crucial Basement Battle, Claiming 2-1 Win to Lift Survival Hopes

By the time the final whistle sounded at Aguntstadion Nußdorf/Debant, there was an unmistakable sense of vindication in the autumn air. Nußdorf, battered by recent heavy defeats and mired just above the relegation zone, found both resilience and resolve to edge past Ferlach 2-1 in a tense Landesliga Kärnten showdown that offered a lifeline in the season’s early relegation battle.

The stakes were unmistakable. Twelfth versus fourteenth in the table, separated by a solitary point, both clubs had arrived in Debant desperate to grasp momentum before it slips away entirely. For Nußdorf, whose last two league outings had ended in a grim combined score of 1-10, the contest was as much about restoring pride as it was about league position. Ferlach, coming off a morale-boosting 1-0 victory over Bleiburg but otherwise marooned in a similar trough, saw the fixture as a rare chance to climb clear of the foot of the table.

The match opened with nervous energy, both sides feeling the weight of recent form. It was Nußdorf who seized the initiative, pressing higher and disrupting Ferlach’s attempts to play out from the back. The breakthrough came midway through the first half, when Nußdorf’s captain—galvanized by the jeers and cheers from the home terrace—found space on the edge of the box and unleashed a low drive, forcing Ferlach’s keeper into a sprawling save. The loose ball ricocheted into the path of forward Julian Berger, who tucked it into the net for the game’s opener. For a side that had scored just once in their last two matches, the release was palpable.

Ferlach, stunned but not cowed, responded with greater urgency. Their midfield, orchestrated by the wily Mario Petrovic, began to stitch together passing sequences that momentarily pinned Nußdorf back. The visitors’ best spell came just before the break, and their persistence was rewarded in the 41st minute. A swift counterattack down the left flank resulted in a teasing cross that found its way to Lukas Hofer, who rose above the Nußdorf defense to head home emphatically at the far post, leveling the score at 1-1 and sending Ferlach’s bench into brief celebration.

The second half unfolded with both teams wary of over-committing, mindful that a single mistake could define their autumn. Yet Nußdorf’s sense of occasion returned early after the restart. At the 52nd minute, amid a crowded penalty area following a set piece, it was substitute Simon Steiner who found the decisive touch—a glancing header powered beyond the reach of Ferlach’s beleaguered goalkeeper. The roar that followed from the home support spoke as much of relief as of joy.

Momentum teetered unevenly after that, both teams guilty of errant passes and hurried clearances as tensions simmered. Ferlach’s best opportunity to equalize fell to Petrovic, whose free-kick in the 73rd minute sailed narrowly over the bar. With desperation mounting, tempers flared: Ferlach’s right back, frustrated by repeated Nußdorf forays down his flank, received a caution for dissent before a clumsy late tackle moments later earned him a second yellow and an early shower in the 79th minute. Down to ten men, Ferlach’s threat diminished; Nußdorf expertly saw out the remaining minutes, marshaling their lines and clinging to the slender lead until the referee’s final signal set off celebrations on the touchline.

This victory, only Nußdorf’s third of the campaign, edges them up to 12th place with 10 points from 11 matches, a slender but significant buffer in the context of a congested bottom half. Ferlach, now winless in four of their last five and stuck on 9 points in 14th, slide perilously closer to the relegation trapdoor. The defeat not only undoes the optimism of last week’s triumph over Bleiburg but also underscores the toothless attack that has haunted Ferlach all season—their tally stands at a league-worst tally, with only two goals in their last five outings.

For Nußdorf, the afternoon marked both a reprieve and a reminder: while the defense remains a work-in-progress after recent heavy defeats, today’s resolve and opportunism suggest a side not ready to surrender its Landesliga status without a fight. The pressure, however, is unyielding. The upcoming fixtures, including a daunting trip to high-flying Donau Klagenfurt, will test whether this result signals a turning of the tide or is merely a brief respite.

Ferlach, meanwhile, face searching questions. Their inability to build on fleeting moments of promise—and the setback of a needless sending off—leaves head coach Markus Lindner under renewed scrutiny. With the drop zone looming, Ferlach’s players and staff must summon belief and discipline as they confront their daunting road ahead.

Should relegation ultimately beckon, both teams might look back on this gray October afternoon as the day when survival hung in the balance and, for Nußdorf at least, hope was rekindled—if only for a week.