Rapid took to the field for their eighth and final pre season friendly sporting this new seasons new kit. Mario Sonnleitner  made his Hannapi debut in the famous Green and White.Belgian opponents Anderlecht provided a good workout for Rapid one day after returning to Vienna from their Burgenland training camp at Bad Tatzmannsdorf. The first noteworthy chance fell to Nikica Jelavic on 12 minutes following a Steffen Hofmann free kick, his header going narrowly over the bar. The match played out in the middle of the park, with action at either goalmouth at a premium. The tempo increased a notch on the half hour mark as firstly Anderlecht had a goal chalked off in the 32nd minute for offside, then a minute later Jelavic failed to bring the ball under control in a promising situation. On 36 minutes Kulovits raced onto a precise Hofmann through ball. Belgian Keeper Proto managed to push the utility man wide however and Kulovits´ resulting effort was cleared off the line at the expense of a corner. Hofmann whipped in a tantilising cross from the following set piece, picking out Markus Katzer. The forward thinking full backs´ header lacked direction and was gathered comfortably by keeper Proto.   Helge Payer was introduced at half time in place of Raimund Hedl in Pacult´s only change to the starting 11. The popular custodian´s first contribution however was to pick the ball out of the net as a fine solo effort from Legear handed the visitors the lead. Pacult made four changes on the hour mark giving run outs to Eder, Dober, Hinum and Gartler. The change paid dividends as five minutes later Gartler restored parity with a header after good work from Dober. It was Anderlecht sub Chatelle though that grabbed the winner for the Belgians in the 77th minute with Rapid unable to find a second reply in the remaining 13 minutes. With pre season formalities now completed, the Green Whites return to competitive action on Thursday as they travel to Lithuania to face FK Suduva. Pacult´s side will be keen to repeat last seasons Europa League heroics and must first negotiate this potentially tricky encounter. Tickets are on sale for the return leg here at the Hannapi the following Thursday.Off field matters were the theme on Sunday afternoon as Rapid welcomed fans to the clubs open day. The sun was shining on a beautiful afternoon as 6000 Rapid fans came along to the Hannapi to make the event a great success. Rapid President Rudi Erdlinger took to the stage to say a few words to the Rapid public. He outlined his hopes for a successful season and the possibilty of the Bundesliga title returning to Hütteldorf. Club speaker Andy Marek was the host with the most as the afternoon went down a storm in a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere.  International Friendly:SK  Rapid - RSC Anderlecht 1:2 (0:0)Hanappi Stadion, 7.000 attendanceGoals: 0:1 Legear (49.), 1:1 Gartler (64.), 1:2 Chatelle (77.) SK Rapid: Hedl (46. Payer) - Kayhan, Sonnleitner, Patocka (59. Eder), Katzer (59. Dober)- Hofmann (73. Trimmel), Kulovits (59. Hinum), Pehlivan, Drazan (73. Saurer) - Jelavic (73. Nuhiu), Salihi (59. Gartler) (gw)
31.08.2015