In an extremely composed performance, Rapid controlled proceedings from kick off through to final whistle, with Pacult setting up his side perfectly for the tie in the notoriously difficult UPC Arena. The Steiermark outfit struggled all afternoon to get a sight of goal, while our men from Vienna always looked capable of sniffing something out at the other end. It was a joy to watch for the travelling fans as Rapid inflicted a first defeat of the season on the hosts.Rapid began the game with a spring in their step, looking to put one over on a another of the big hitters of the Tipp3 Bundesliga following the home defeat of Salzburg. Home keeper Gratzei had to be alert as early as the 4th minute to turn away a Jelavic header for a corner. The hosts though recovered to snatch some forward momentum themselves. Little were we at this point to know that that was as good as it would get for Graz, and Hedl would be little more than a spectator for the rest of the afternoon. A cracking Veli Kavlak effort nearly broke the deadlock on 21 minutes, the tricky winger rinsing his marker out like a wet dishcloth before firing low against the upright. It was to be the Austrian international's last significant contribution as he was replaced 10 minutes later by Christopher Trimmel, owing to a knee injury.Rapid got the breakthrough their bold play had merited five minutes before the break, unlikely hero Jürgen Patocka getting his head on the end of a Saurer cross to plant an unstoppable header past Gratzei. It was a clinical header and seperated the teams going into the half time break.Pacult's side picked up where they left of at the start of the second half, with Graz unable to live with the Hütteldorfers, despite being the home field advantage. Saurer blazed over on 55 minutes before Heikinnen stung Grazei's palms in the 59th. The home side were handed a lifeline when Sonnleitner was shown a highly debateable red card in the 71st minute. However, rather than unnerv the Hütteldorfers it served more to galvanise, and it would be Rapid who would have the last laugh. Pacult responded to the numerical disadvantage by replacing Saurer with Dober, and it was the newly introduced Dober who set up Nikica Jelavic to settle the argument with the crucial second. The croatian marksman applied the routine finish to Dober's precise ball to send the travelling masses from Vienna into a frenzy. Sturm again could not muster anything noteworthy in the way of a response, and Rapid shut the game out with a minimum of fuss.The Green Whites now travel to Birmingham for this years installment in the Rapid - Villa trilogy. Following a sticky start to the season they now travel to Villa Park high on confidence. News that Martin O´Neill has resigned his post and Rapid will face a managerless Villa side will do little to dampen the enthusiasm.tipp3-Bundesliga, 4th round:Sturm Graz - SK Rapid 0:2 (0:1)UPC Arena, 15.322, SR Dietmar DrabekGoals: 0:1 Patocka (39.), 0:2 Jelavic (81.)SK Sturm: Gratzei - Ehrenreich, Feldhofer, Schildenfeld, Standfest - Hölzl (69./Weinberger), Muratovic, Weber, Bukva (82./Th. Burgstaller) - Szabics, Kienast (69./Haas)SK Rapid: Hedl - Kayhan, Sonnleitner, Patocka, Katzer - Heikkinen, Hinum (74./Eder) - Kavlak (34./Trimmel), Hofmann, Saurer (69./Dober) - JelavicRed Card: Sonnleitner (71.)Yellow Cards: Ehrenreich, Th. Burgstaller Jelavic(gw)
31.08.2015