Injuries meant that Peter Schöttel travelled to Styria with a depleted squad to choose from ahead of the game against Sturm Graz. The reduced numbers presented youngster Dominik Starkl with his first taste of first team life and a place on the bench. Those who did take to the field in Green & White quickly came under a concerted barrage of pressure from the hosts. Kainz rattled off the first shot of the afternoon for the hosts in the 5th minute, but the first clear cut chance came when Vujadinovic rattled the bar following a 24th minute corner. It was all hands to the pump for Rapid, who were managing to keep the hosts at bay, but at the same time struggling to create any forward momentum. Five minutes before half time Sturm got their noses in front: striker Sukuta-Pasu got the better of Schrammel in an aerial duel and guided his subsequent header past Königshofer and into the corner to cap of a decent first half performance. It wasn't a satisfactory 45 minutes from Rapid, who would have to up their game to have a chance of taking points with them back north to the capital. Better showing second halfRapid's hopes for an improved second half display were dealt a severe blow when just two minutes after the restart Kainz fired home a rifling long range effort to double the Styrian's advantage. Rather than sink without a trace, the Hütteldorfers gathered themselves and began searching for a way back into the game. A period of sustained pressure resulted in Mario Sonnleitner getting on the end of an Ildiz corner, unfortunately the big centre half's header crept the wrong side of the post. It was though a positive signal of intent. Schöttel could sense the momentum swing and brought on young duo Grozurek and Starkl and Rapid's sense of purpose grew further. Debutant Starkl had a hand in getting his side back into the match, setting up Burgstaller with a precise pass in the 67th minute, who fired home in the far corner to give the Viennese travelling support renewed hope with still over 20 minutes on the clock. Too little, too lateThe game developed into a sweeping end to end affair: in the 76th minute Boyd headed just wide whilst well placed, then just a minute later Madl thought he had restored the home side's two goal cushion with an expert free kick that just missed the target. A late goal mouth scramble in the Sturm penalty area didn't yield the desired equalizer for Rapid in the 88th minute, and proved to be as close as they would come before the final whistle. A difficult trip to Leverkusen is next on the agenda. If Rapid can produce football akin to the second half in Graz, then they may well be able to upset the odds in the Bay-Arena. tipp3-Bundesliga, 14th roundSturm Graz - SK Rapid 2:1 (1:0)UPC-Arena, 13.259 Attendance, Referee HameterGoals: 1:0 Sukuta-Pasu (38.), 2:0 F. Kainz (47.), 2:1 Burgstaller (67.)Sturm: Focher - Hölzl, Dudic, Vujadinovic, Klem - T. Kainz, Madl (73./Koch) - Sukuta-Pasu, Weber (57./Bukva), F. Kainz - Okotie (87./Kaufmann)SK Rapid: Königshofer - Schimpelsberger (56./Grozurek), Sonnleitner, Gerson, Schrammel - Ildiz (57./Starkl), Kulovits - Trimmel, Prager (73./Prokopic), G. Burgstaller - BoydYellow Cards: Dudic, F. Kainz, Madl, Okotie Ildiz, Trimmel, Sonnleitner, Schrammel, Burgstaller(gw)
06.11.2012