Coach Peter Pacult fielded the same eleven for the game in the sold out Horr arena that started the previous week at home to LASK. Table toppers Ried had already secured another victory prior to kick off, so the pressure was heaped on both teams ahead of the 295th Vienna derby. The hosts got off to a good start and created the first scoring chance of the afternoon, a Jun half volley going narrowly wide of Raimund Hedl's upright. Not suprisingly Austria, being the home team, looked to get on the front foot straight away and applied consistent pressure on the Rapid backline during the opening exchanges. Hedl did well to repel a long range effort, before the Green-Whites were stung into action and began creating some opportunities of their own. They broke forwards in the 23rd minute, Christoph Saurer leading the charge down the left wing, unfortunately nobody was on hand to convert his teasing cross. Pacult was forced into a change on the half hour mark, Andi Dober replacing the injured Markus Katzer. Tanju Kayhan shifted across the field to cover the left back position, while Dober went into his familiar right back slot. Yasin Pehlivan struggled through to half time after a collision in the Rapid area, unfortunately he wasn't to emerge for the second half with Christopher Trimmel coming on in his place. The pattern of the game didn't change up until the half time pause, the Violets had a greater share of the possesion, while Rapid - well marshalled by Soma and Sonnleitner at the back, stood up to everything the hosts could conjure. Rapid appeared to come for the second 45 in a positive frame of mind, a decent early long shot from Kavlak signalled the Hütteldorfer's intentions. After five second half minutes, Austria goalie Lindner pushed a cross behind for a corner. The resulting set piece caused chaos in the Austria box, Violet's defender Ortlechner swivelled and fired a great shot against his own crossbar, the ball came down, rebounded off a defender and dropped to a grateful Salihi who pushed the ball over the line from two yards. Rapid fans were sent into ecstacy, turning the away end into a seering sea of red flame. Rather than sit on the lead, Rapid continued to push for a second. Christoph Saurer produced a cracking effort as the Green-Whites looked to bury the rocking hosts. With Austria looking nervous and under pressure, coach Karl Daxbacher's misery was further compounded when Liendl received a straight red for an inexplicable attack on Andi Dober. Rapid could by now smell victory and were creating enough chances to sink the Violets on their own patch, however the all important second goal continued to prove illusive. Nuhiu came into the fray with 15 minutes left on the watch, replacing the industrious Rene Gartler. With five minutes to play Hamdi Salihi tried to settle matters with an ambitious volley falling away from goal, his effort lacked the necessary placement to trouble Lindner. With the battered Austria players already out on their feet, Salihi passed up a golden last minute opportunity to add some gloss to a great performance, but it wasn't to be. In the end it was all immaterial though, the whistle blew and Rapid ended the five year wait for a victory in the Horr Stadium. It was a fantastic effort from the Green-Whites, and it catapults them back into the reckoning at the business end of the Bundesliga table. 17th round:FK Austria - SK Rapid 0:1 (0:0)Horr-Stadion, 13.100, Referee HofmannGoal: Salihi (51.)FK Austria: Lindner - Klein, Dragovic, Ortlechner, Leovac - Stankovic (72./Schumacher), Junuzovic, Baumgartlinger (82./Hlinka), Liendl - Jun (61./Tadic), LinzSK Rapid: Hedl - Kayhan, Sonnleitner, Soma, Katzer (33./Dober) - Kavlak, Heikkinen, Pehlivan (46./Trimmel), Saurer - Salihi, Gartler (73./Nuhiu)Red Card: Liendl (63.)Yellow Cards: Linz Pehlivan, Kavlak, Salihi(gw)
31.08.2015