Late Drama at Glonner Arena: Ebbs and Völs Share Points Amid Shifting Landesliga Tide
On a brisk autumn Sunday at Glonner Arena, with the Alps casting their long shadows across the pitch, Ebbs and Völs delivered a 2-2 draw that neither fully satisfied nor disappointed—an outcome that keeps both clubs very much in the thick of the Landesliga Tirol chase but leaves lingering questions as the season edges past its midpoint.
Ebbs entered the match perched in fifth on the table, just one point clear of Völs, a razor-thin margin shaped by weeks of mostly fruitful toil and a defense that has shown steady improvement since the season’s shaky September start. Völs, meanwhile, arrived bristling with confidence, winners of four out of their last five and wielding an attack that in recent weeks has been among the league’s most dynamic.
That recent form set the stage for a contest of both tension and expectation—and for eighty-seven minutes, the script simmered with moments of controlled aggression and tactical calculation, punctuated by bursts of inspiration and, especially in the final stages, chaos.
The early stages belonged to Ebbs, who pressed assertively in front of their home support, determined to build on last week’s narrow triumph over Swarovski Tirol II. Their urgency paid off in the 13th minute when Lukas Berger—so often the heartbeat of their midfield—threaded a clever diagonal ball behind the Völs line. Forward Sebastian Steiner pounced, slipping his marker and slotting the ball beneath Völs keeper Mario Wieser for the opener.
For a spell, Ebbs looked likely to double their advantage. Midfielder Florian Kofler rattled the crossbar in the 26th minute with an audacious long-range effort, and only a sprawling save from Wieser denied Steiner his second moments later. Alert to the danger, Völs gradually began to settle, their passing triangles drawing Ebbs out and creating space on the flanks.
Völs’ equalizer came in the 39th minute, a moment of transition ruthlessly exploited. Winger Enrico Zanon collected a half-cleared corner and darted down the right, whipping in a low cross that found captain Thomas Riedl at full stretch. Riedl met the ball with a sliding effort, the shot ricocheting past Ebbs keeper Michael Schwaiger to level the match just before the break.
The second half opened with a flurry of midfield duels and rising physicality. Ebbs’ center back Maximilian Leitner picked up a yellow card following a crunching challenge, and tempers briefly flared as both teams sensed the stakes.
In the 62nd minute, Völs grabbed their first lead of the day. A quick turnover in midfield saw substitute Julian Gruber spring clear, and his perfectly weighted pass allowed Zanon to finish coolly into the far corner. For the first time, Ebbs looked rattled, their rhythm disrupted by Völs’ pressing and the growing noise from the traveling support.
But resilience has been a recent hallmark for this Ebbs side, as shown in their 3-3 draw at Fügen and hard-fought wins over Mils and Oberperfuss. Coach Andreas Huber’s changes bore fruit in the 74th minute, when striker Marcel Unterberger, on for Kofler, latched onto a lofted pass and forced a sharp save, signaling renewed intent.
The game’s pivotal moment arrived in the 87th minute. As Ebbs pressed desperately, a surging run from full-back David Plank drew a late challenge from Völs’ Martin Gassner at the edge of the area. Referee Petra Auer, amidst fierce protest, produced a straight red card—leaving Völs to see out the final minutes a man down. From the resulting free kick, Berger’s delivery pinged around the box before Steiner bundled home his second, sparking jubilation in the home stands.
There was still time for one final Völs foray, Riedl looking to repeat his first-half heroics, but Schwaiger’s late stop secured the point for Ebbs and kept the final score at 2-2.
Context makes this draw a double-edged result for both sides. Ebbs, unbeaten in five and still firmly in the top five with 16 points after nine matches (5 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses), will lament dropping points at home but can take solace from their surging resilience and attacking verve. They remain just ahead of Völs, who climb to 15 points (4 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses) and extend their unbeaten run to four, but missed the opportunity to leapfrog their rivals.
This encounter also served as a microcosm of their recent head-to-head history—tightly contested, unpredictable, and never short on drama. With the promotion race tightening and every point precious, both clubs now glance anxiously at the standings. Ebbs look ahead to a tricky away trip, hoping to cement their status among the contenders, while Völs, shorn of Gassner through suspension, must quickly regroup lest this slip become a sour turning point.
In Tirol’s unforgiving autumn, neither side gained full control on Sunday. But both left Glonner Arena knowing they are very much part of the heated chase, the margin between top and middle as narrow as ever—the only certainty is that this Landesliga season is far from settled.