A recipe for a fantastic afternoon: "Jimmy" Hoffer cooks up a hat-trick, Stefan Maierhofer chips in with a header, Rapid serve us exquisite football and send the opponents home with scraps. Add Red Bull Salzburg as the final ingredient, and it´s hard to imagine a tastier three points! On Sunday Rapid crushed the league leaders and champions elect. The final scoreline did, in fact, flatter the visitors in what was an electric performance from the Green-Whites.It was a magic afternoon at The Hanappi. Showing complete disregard for league position, our side ripped through the oppostion, embarrasing the Salzburger´s expensively assembled squad. Pride, power, passion, sublime football and a feverish sold out St. Hanappi Stadion proved too much for the visitors to cope with as they ran into a Green and White brick wall.The opening minutes of the match saw few opportunities with only a couple of half chances for either side. But as the temperature both on the pitch and in the stands rose, Rapid began pushing their opponents back and the Red Bull defence was creaking. In the 22nd minute the goal celebrations rang on: "Jimmy" Hoffer played in a beautiful curling ball from the right, Stefan Maierhofer ghosted in at the back post, rising higher than the visiting defenders to put Rapid 1-0 up. Salzburg tried to muster a response but were being swept away by the Green-White tide eminating in the stands and manifesting on the pitch. Maierhofer nearly doubled the lead but saw his snap shot saved. The half time whistle saw Rapid leave for the dressing room in buyount mood.At the start of the second half Marc Janko temporarily disrupted things with a smart finish to claw Salzburg level. Any apprehension that existed in the crowd was shortly dispelled. Just two minutes later Stefan Kulovits' deep cross was nodded back along the six yard box by Stefan Maierhofer for man of the moment  "Jimmy" Hofer to emphatically blast Rapid back into a deserved lead from close range. Ten minutes later a sharp attack for Rapid ended with Kulovits playing the ball into "Jimmy" Hoffer´s feet. With his back to goal, "Jimmy" displayed instant control, deftly spun his marker and rifled low into the goal giving the keeper no chance. Hütteldorf was then sent into delirium as Hoffer rounded of his hat-trick. Rising midfield star Yasin Pehlivan played the bustling striker in with a perfect slide rule pass, "Jimmy" Hoffer did the rest, calmly completing his hat-trick, putting our opponents to the sword. Salzburg, a man light by this point, did make occasional forrays into attacking areas but found the door slammed firmly shut by Helge Payer and the Rapid defence. Rene Aufhauser did manage to pick up a somewhat undeserved consolation in the dying minutes but it wasn´t enough to dampen the celebrations that were errupting around the stadium.Rapid winning the championship remains unlikely, but if Salzburg do go on to win the league it will be little more than a snap shot in time. Rapid is forever and is a name that travels far across Austria´s borders. This day proved what we all already knew. Thank you Rapid!33rd round:SK Rapid - RB Salzburg 4:2 (1:0)Goals: 1:0 Maierhofer (22.), 1:1 Janko (51.), 2:1 Hoffer (53.), 3:1 Hoffer (62.), 4:1 Hoffer (75.), 4:2 Aufhauser (86.)Game Stats(gw)
31.08.2015