WELS, Austria (Interstat) — Hertha Wels delivered a commanding performance Sunday, routing visiting SV St. Anna 7-3 at Mauth Stadion in a Week 24 match of the Austrian Regionalliga. The lopsided result defied pregame projections and solidified Hertha’s dominant start to the domestic campaign.

Entering the contest, statistical models heavily favored the home side. Interstat’s ELO rating gave Hertha an 86.20 percent probability to win, with a projected final score of 2-1. Hertha not only exceeded that margin but exploded for a season-high goal total in league play.

The match’s narrative was largely written by Hertha midfielder Lukas Ried. The 5-foot-10, 147-pound playmaker opened the scoring in the 20th minute, providing the crucial breakthrough. He then doubled Hertha’s advantage and his personal tally with a second goal in the 70th minute, effectively putting the game out of reach at 2-0.

St. Anna, which had shown resilience in previous outings with three wins across all competitions this season, found a brief response. Substitute Patrick Wiesenhofer, who entered the match in the 10th minute, pulled a goal back for the visitors in the 78th minute, making it 2-1. However, any momentum from that strike was swiftly extinguished as Hertha unleashed a five-goal barrage in the final minutes to seal the emphatic 7-3 victory.

The match was a physical affair, with three yellow cards issued. St. Anna’s Marko Maučec was booked in the 14th minute, while Hertha’s Roko Mišlov and Miroslav Cirkovic received cautions in the 30th and 65th minutes, respectively.

The victory extends Hertha’s perfect start in the Regionalliga to four wins and zero losses, maintaining its position among the early frontrunners. The club’s form across all competitions now stands at four wins, one draw and zero losses. For St. Anna, the defeat marks its first loss in Regionalliga play this season, dropping its league record to zero wins and one loss. Its overall record across all competitions shifts to three wins and one loss.

The result continues contrasting trajectories for the two sides based on recent history. St. Anna arrived with confidence from a trio of wins in late summer friendlies, including a 3-2 victory over Saßtal and a 3-2 win against Greinbach. Hertha, meanwhile, has carried a strong finish from the previous calendar year into the new campaign, with league wins over SAK Klagenfurt and Treibach in November and December preceding this offensive outburst.

Ried was named the top star for Hertha for his two-goal performance in a full 90-minute shift, a key factor in the team’s overwhelming victory. Wiesenhofer’s goal off the bench stood as the primary highlight for a St. Anna side that was ultimately overwhelmed defensively in the closing stages.