Reserve striker Lukas Grozurek made his full debut in the first team after joining the senior squad in the winter pause. Unfortunately for Grozurek, neither he nor his fellow attacking players saw much action in a first half largely devoid of ideas and creativity. The opposition made the most of the tentative Rapid display, sitting in deep and keeping two orderly banks of four in front of the Hütteldorfers, encouraging the hosts on to them and attempting to launch long balls in the hope of counterattacking forays into the Rapid half. A hopeful Schimpelsberger effort was the best Rapid had to show for their first half efforts until the game sprung into life on the stroke of half time. Mario Sonnleitner rose to meet a Hofmann free kick his header rebounded from post to post before agonizingly trickling away to safety. Despite lacking the required creativity in the final third to break down the deep sitting guests, it appeared to all and sundry that if a breakthrough were to come it would be the hosts that would profit. Unbelievably it was Lederer's, and not Schöttel's, side that broke the deadlock: Steffen Hofmann upended Höller in the 18 yard box, leaving the referee with no option but to point to the spot. Bürger converted the spot kick to add to Rapid’s problems. Unfortunately the men from Mattersburg were putting on a display that suggested they are capable of better than their current lowly league placing. They almost doubled their advantage in the 77th minute but Bürger luckily steered his header over the bar otherwise it would have surely been curtains for the Viennese. However, in typical Rapid fashion Schöttel's side refused to accept defeat and after managing to build up a head of steam finally cracked the Mattersburg rearguard. Steffen Hofmann atoned for his earlier misdemeanor when his shot from the corner of the penalty found its way past Borentisch to restore parity late in the day. Rapid then nearly turned the game on its head in a dramatic end to proceedings as Heikkinen's 89th minute shot appeared to be goalbound before a real hearts in mouth moment for the exhausted Mattersburg side as Pichler fired off a 94th minute rocket that cannoned back off the woodwork and away to safety. tipp 3-Bundesliga, 25th round:SK Rapid - Mattersburg 1:1 (0:0)Hanappi-Stadion, 15.500, Referee Schüttengruber Goals: 0:1 Bürger (49., Penalty), 1:1 Hofmann (83.) SK Rapid: Königshofer - Schimpelsberger, Sonnleitner, Pichler, Katzer - Drazan, Hofmann, Heikkinen, Grozurek (60. Nuhiu) - Trimmel, Gartler (67. Alar) Mattersburg: Borenitsch - Farkas, Malic, Rodler, Rath - Höller, Ilsanker, Seidl, Potzmann (76. Mörz) - Naumoski (46. Parlov) - Bürger (88. Röcher) Yellow Cards: Nuhiu, Drazan, Hofmann Rath, Bürger, Parl (gw)
22.03.2012