Team • 

What an evening: Rapid between hope and disappointment

The task couldn’t have been much tougher for Rapid, who entered the match needing to turn around a 3-0 first leg defeat. And the match started in the worst possible fashion, as the guests headed past the wrong-footed Koch – 1-0 to Famagusta in just the 14th minute. Rapid’s chances of progressing had taken a bitter blow.

Yet the home side focused on the task in hand and played to their strengths. Simply put, the team had nothing to lose. Maierhofer was the first to show signs of the fight back with a header against the bar shortly before “Jimmy” Hoffer found the back of the net from close range to equalize in the 22nd minute. Rapid began to turn up the heat. Thonhofer had replaced Dober just before Hofmann fired wide of the target 10 minutes from the break, yet no further goals were to come in the first half.

Explosive second half display

Following the break Rapid put on an impressive display of football, winning tackle after tackling and setting up chance after chance. With such a performance in the second half, many other teams would have been lucky to come away with an aggregate win. Composed on the ball and with plenty of energy to burn, Christopher Drazan clearly justified Pacult’s decision to bring him on to provide a threat down the left flank. An excellent square ball into the box gave Stefan Maierhofer an easy tap home to put Rapid ahead for the first time at 2-1 with half an hour still to play. Rapid’s third was almost an exact copy of the second, yet Drazan’s deep delivery was this time superbly headed in. It came just 3 minutes after the second. The quick brace from the former Greuther Fürth man left Famagusta shocked, and Rapid with renewed hope of progressing. ‘Only’ two more goals were needed in the final 20 minutes to see Rapid through, yet despite chances falling to Hoffer, Hofmann, Katzer and Thonhofer, it was not to be and the match ended 3-1.

Being knocked out is never easy to take, however the players can hold their heads high and be proud of their achievement this evening. Only one side could have created so much hope following such an ominous defeat away from home, while almost filling the stadium with diehard fans. The spirit of Rapid will live on.

Stats:

Rapid - Anorthosis Famagusta 3:1 (1:1)

17.000;

Goals: 0:1 Laban (13.), 1:1 Hoffer (22.), 2:1 Maierhofer (63.), 3:1 Maierhofer (67.);

Rapid: Koch - Dober (34.Thonhofer), Tokic, Patocka, Katzer - Hofmann, Heikkinen, Boskovic (57.Drazan), Kavlak (66.Jelavic) - Maierhofer, Hoffer

Famagusta: Begaj - Ocokoljic, Konstantinou, Katsavakis, Leiwakabessy (46.Nikolaou) - Dobrasinovic, Dellas (58.Tiquinho) - Skopelitis, Bardon (46.Samaras), Laban - Sosin

(gub/translated by Paul Read)

Pictures of the game