A Six-Goal Thriller Leaves Both Sides Searching for Answers as Wals-Grünau and Hohenems Play to a 3-3 Draw

The chill of early October in Salzburg brought drama and no shortage of heart-stopping moments to Hans-Ludwig-Stadion, where Wals-Grünau and Hohenems traded leads, blows, and ultimately points, finishing 3-3 in a match that encapsulated the volatility—and the vulnerability—of both Regionalliga West sides.

A Match that Refused to Settle

From the opening whistle, the urgency was palpable. Hosts Wals-Grünau, anchored in mid-table but still aching for their first win in five matches, pressed with a nervous intensity. Their early efforts were rewarded in the 17th minute, when midfielder Jakob Leitner ghosted into the box and finished a sharp cutback, sending the home crowd into a rare early celebration.

But if the past month has taught Wals-Grünau anything, it’s that leads are fleeting. Hohenems, emboldened by last week’s 3-0 dismantling of Pinzgau Saalfelden, asserted their own claim on the match. Just before the half-hour mark, striker Lukas Huber brought the visitors level, finishing a neat passing move after capitalizing on errant defending.

The pendulum continued to swing. Wals-Grünau reclaimed the lead minutes before halftime—a bullet header from defender Marcel Hofer converting a whipped-in corner, re-igniting hope in the Hans-Ludwig-Stadion stands. Yet, familiar fragilities reemerged: a defensive lapse early in the second half saw Hohenems’ captain, Thomas Sonderegger, pounce on a loose clearance, dragging his side level at 2-2 with a clever finish from close range.

Momentum and Missed Opportunities

With both sides now committed to frantic, end-to-end football, the match’s defining moment arrived in the 71st minute. Hohenems’ winger Adrian März, who had troubled the flank all afternoon, was brought down as he broke through—earning his side a penalty and Wals-Grünau’s left back, Simon Steiner, a second yellow card. Sonderegger coolly dispatched the spot-kick, putting Hohenems ahead for the first time and leaving the hosts down to ten men.

Yet, even with momentum and numbers in their favor, Hohenems could not put the game beyond reach. In the 84th minute, Wals-Grünau’s resolve paid dividends. Substitute Yusuf Korkmaz latched onto a hopeful lob, outpaced the tired defense, and slotted low past the goalkeeper—an equalizer that stunned the visitors and salvaged a point.

Context and Consequence

For Wals-Grünau, the draw was bittersweet: a welcome end to a two-match losing streak, but yet another reminder of their inability to defend a lead and see out matches. Now with four draws in their last five fixtures, the Salzburg-based club sits 10th, on 12 points from 10 games. Their current run—winless in five and leaking crucial goals—speaks to a side lacking both conviction and consistency in the critical moments.

Hohenems, meanwhile, stay eighth with 14 points, still within touching distance of the top six but haunted by defensive frailties and missed opportunities to press their numerical advantage. After a hard-fought stretch that included two consecutive away losses at Dornbirn and SVG Reichenau, this was a match they might rue not finishing off, especially given how they allowed a shorthanded Wals-Grünau to claw back.

Recent Form and What Lies Ahead

Both teams’ seasons have been studies in frustration, though for contrasting reasons. Wals-Grünau’s fight is as much with themselves as with their opponents—a string of draws and late concessions that threaten to entrench them in the league’s lower reaches. Hohenems, in turn, remain unpredictable: capable of both comprehensive victories and bewildering lapses, as evidenced by their alternating stints of dominance and defensive collapse.

Their head-to-head history in recent seasons has been similarly unpredictable, with no clear dominance established—mirroring the see-saw nature of today’s encounter.

The Road Forward

As the dust settles, the Regionalliga West table tightens. Wals-Grünau, two points adrift of Hohenems, know that only wins, not gallant draws, will pull them clear of the bottom half. Hohenems, for their part, must confront the inconsistency that has prevented any sustained momentum this autumn.

Missing out on three points—despite a man advantage and late lead—will sting for Hohenems as the campaign nears its midpoint. Wals-Grünau, meanwhile, will take solace in their resilience, but must find resolve to turn spirited comebacks into victories if they are to escape the league’s lower rungs.

October’s air is growing colder, and so too is the margin for error. Both sides, locked in the Regionalliga West’s tight mid-table pack, face a critical stretch—where every point, and every defensive lapse, will shape their season’s reckoning.