Shadows had just started to fall across the Hanappi stadium on Saturday ahead of the evening kick off against Lower Austrian outfit Wiener Neustadt. Rapids form had begin to warm up in recent weeks, much like the Viennese spring, and under newly installed coach Zoran Barisic the team were looking to continue to sweep up the Bundesliga and fight for a potential league and cup double. A late charge for the league had looked out of the question just a few weeks earlier, but it's in Rapid's makeup: overcome the odds and produce the goods. An enterprising line up greeted the waiting fans as the players came onto the pitch. A midfield quintet of Hofmann, Prokopic, Drazan, Pehlivan and Kulovits would be looking to feed and support lone striker Salihi. Jürgen Patocka came in for the injured Sonnleitner in the heart of the back four, in between Wednesday's goal hero Katzer and big Norwegian Ragnvald Soma. Tanju Kayhan lined up on the right and would be looking to provide attacking emphasis down his flank. Linesman’s flag spares visitorsThe first effort on goal arrived in the 12th minute as Drazan latched onto some sloppy play at the back from the visitors, but the winger dragged his shot well wide of the upright. It was a quiet opening period from teams with a handful of corners the sum of both sides early efforts. The home crowd rose to their feet to celebrating what they was 1:0 to Rapid, only to be silenced by the linesman’s flag. A free kick from the touchline travelled all the way into the net, but Markus Katzer was adjudged to have been interfering and in an offside position in what looked like an exceptionally tight 17th minute call by the linesman. Salihi gives hands initiative to the hostsExcellent in build up play in the 26th minute saw Prokopic get in to the by-line behind the Neustadt defence but his low ball was cut out by keeper Fornezzi. Moments later a Hofmann shot from the edge of the box went close as the Hütteldorfers sprung into life following a low key half an hours offering. The shift in gears paid dividends for Barisic’ men on 31 minutes as Salihi gave the hosts the lead. A deep Hofmann corner was headed back across the area intelligently by Drazan to Salihi who finished from close range at the second attempt. The Green-Whites struggled to muster another clear-cut opportunity in the remaining time in the half and had to settle for a 1:0 lead going into the break. Second halfThe first real action of note in the second period came in the 68th minute as man of the moment Salihi doubled the Rapid lead. A Hofmann cross went into the area, causing confusion in the Wiener Neustadt ranks. A Melee ensued and two Rapid bodies hit the floor. Referee Schüttengruber had no hesitation and pointed to the spot. Replays suggest the decision was somewhat hard on the hosts, but that didn’t seem to bother Salihi who stepped up and beat Fornezzi from 12 yards with a cheeky delicate chip. The second goal coupled with news filtering through from Salzburg that Wacker had gone 3:2 up really brought some feel good factor back to the Hanappi that had been lacking in the previous months. Feel good factor back in Hütteldorf The away side fashioned a chance of their own with just over 15 minutes to play, but the danger was snuffed out by a fantastic Kayhan challenge before the ball even got as far Payer. While there may have been a touch of fortune surrounding the two goals for the Green-Whites, it would be hard to argue that they were not good value for their advantage. The visitors from lower Austria had scarcely seen possession in the Rapid half during the entire match with shooting opportunities at an absolute premium. The Rapid bench began to ring the changes as Prokopic and Salihi were replaced by Trimmel and Nuhiu respectively, while Drazan had been replaced earlier in the piece by Saurer as Barisic looked to keep his troops fresh. Late goals seal the gameThe game was virtually sealed in the 82nd as a Hofmann cross cum shot from a free kick eluded everyone and found its way into the net. In a bizarre moment, Wiener Neustadt reduced the arrears direct from kick off: A Kayhan clearance was blocked and the ball fell to Hannes Aigner who made no mistake in beating Helge Payer who was caught totally cold. Atdhe Nuhiu’s excellent run and shot nearly restored the three-goal advantage, only an excellent fingertip stop from Fornezzi kept an element of respectability about the score line. Christopher Trimmel did his best to get in on the act as the game entered stoppage time his header from a Saurer cross just went over the crossbar. The gloss was applied just moments later however as Christoph Saurer scored from close range after a low Kayhan cross bounced up kindly of a Neustadt defender. It rounded off an excellent nights work for the Green-Whites. The "Zoki"-effect is in full swing and no-one will fancy playing the rejuvenated Rapid side in the remaining fixtures. 30th round:SK Rapid - Wr. Neustadt 4:1 (1:0)Hanappi-Stadion, 15.600, Referee SchüttengruberGoals: 1:0 Salihi (31.), 2:0 Salihi (68./Foulelfmeter), 3:0 Hofmann (82./Freistoß), 3:1 Aigner (84.), 4:1 Saurer (92.)SK Rapid: Payer - Kayhan, Soma, Patocka, Katzer - Pehlivan, Kulovits - Prokopic (81. Trimmel), Hofmann, Drazan (69. Saurer) - Salihi (79. Nuhiu)Wr. Neustadt: Fornezzi - Thonhofer, Kral, Ramsebner, Schicker - Madl, Grünwald (89. Maak) - Sadovic, Helly (46. Klapf), Burgstaller (81. Salkic) - AignerYellow Cards: Patocka Grünwald, Klapf, Ramsebner, Sadovic (gw)
26.04.2011