LASK 1-1 St Johnstone: Scots earn impressive Europa Conference draw in Austria

Glenn Middleton, left, provided a sumptuous cross for St Johnstone's opener

St Johnstone survived a late LASK onslaught to bring a draw back to Scotland in their Europa Conference League play-off.

But Mamadou Karamoko netted a second-half penalty to level the first leg, while Keito Nakamura struck Zander Clark's post during a late flurry.

The second leg is next Thursday.

• Reaction and as it happened

LASK featured in the Europa League group stage last season and reached the last 16 in 2020. It is clear then that St Johnstone were the underdogs in terms of European pedigree, but having already wrestled with Turkish side Galatasaray in Europa League action this month, that wasn't an issue.

Clark was called upon early to deny a Jan Boller effort, but that's all LASK created in the first half. Boller had another attempt from range saved later on, yet St Johnstone were comfortable.

They had to strike when they got a break of the ball, and that is just what the McDiarmid Park club did. Glenn Middleton's cross from the left beat the Austrian defence to tee up Kane who slid the ball home.

Middleton was causing plenty of problems and his next pass, this time to Ali McCann, should have resulted in another goal. The midfielder struck his shot well from outside the area, but LASK goalkeeper Alexander Schlager did well to deny him.

A rare error at the back by St Johnstone gifted LASK a chance to level. Callum Booth had come within inches of doubling the Scots' lead at the start of the second half but Jamie McCart soon brought down Karamoko in the penalty box. The striker made no mistake, despite Clark's best efforts.

LASK bought momentum with their goal as they looked to assert themselves in St Johnstone's half. Nakamura's effort in the dying embers provided a big scare, hitting the post and bouncing in the box before McCart cleared the danger.

Boller then tried his hand at beating Clark for a third time but his free-kick was batted away.

The furthest St Johnstone have progressed in Europe is the third round of the UEFA Cup in the 1971-72 season. They are in a good position to make history, again.

Man of the Match - Zander Clark

Clark made an array of eye-catching saves, particularly late in the game, to help keep St Johnstone in the tie.

What we learned

St Johnstone are more than a match for LASK. While the Austrian hosts did prove their quality in spells, Callum Davidson's side matched them in larger periods.

Middleton caused a host of problems, with pace a trait LASK struggled with.

A similar performance next week could see St Johnstone into an unbelievable European group-stage spot.

What they said

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson: "I thought the boys performed unbelievably well. I am a bit disappointed with the chance we miss before their goal.

"But we had a go and went toe-to-toe with LASK. It's a great result and a learning curve. All credit to the players. We give ourselves a chance."

What's next

A demanding schedule continues for St Johnstone as they host Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday (15:00 BST). LASK then travel to Perth for the vital Europa Conference League second-leg play-off (19:45).