Our club has recently been doing some good work in Upper Austria, attempting to raise awareness and increase the donations coming into a region that was devastated by the recent spate of flooding, and as a result we have received a big thumbs up from the public. Originally our trainings camp for this year had been due to take place in Schärding, but the area, including the proposed hotel - Hotel Gugerbauer, was one of the worst affected in the region.Before the game against a Districts Representative Team, Rapid visited the stricken hotel and helped add to the feeling of solidarity and hardiness already displayed by the locals.So without the recently acquired Samuel Radlinger (lacking match fitness), who was in Schärding to train with the squad and build up his fitness levels, Rapid took to the field in a nice atmoshpere to play the Districts Representatives side.The early chances actually went the way of the hosts who twice managed to get in behind the Rapid defence, but they could not find a way past Jan Novota (1., 5.). But the Green & Whites then casually moved up a gear and imposed themselves on the game, with Louis Schaub (7.) and Guido Burgstaller (8.) both passing up chances. The first goal eventually arrived when Harry Pichler played in Burgstaller who this time made no mistake and slotted home - 1:0 (11.). Marcel Sabitzer doubled Rapid's advantage from close range (20.), before Burgstaller made in 3:0 with a crisp strike (29.) and just two minutes later Sabitzer added a fourth with an excellent finish into the top corner (31.). A precise Branko Boskovic made it five and rounded off the scoring for the first half (42.).Zoran Barisic made no fewer than 10 changes at half time, with only Mario Pavelic remaining from the team that had kicked off the first half. The new introductions looked to keep the high passing tempo and set about adding to the scoreline: Brian Behrendt went close with a free kick (48.), before Eldis Bajrami clipped the outside of the post (55.). The first goal of the second half, and the goal of the game, fell to Terrance Boyd. The American chested down Christopher Trimmel's 64th minute cross before unleashing a rasping volley into the roof of the net - 6:0. In the closing stages Lukas Denner grabbed a 7th for Rapid, tapping home a rebound after the home keeper could only parry a shot from Boyd (84.).Benefit Game:District Representative Team Schärding - SK Rapid 0:7 (0:5)Thursday, 4. July, Schärding, 1000 AttendanceGoals: 0:1 Burgstaller (11.), 0:2 Sabitzer (20.), 0:3 Burgstaller (29.), 0:4 Sabitzer (31.), 0:5 Boskovic (42.), 0:6 Boyd (64.), 0:7 Denner (84.).SK Rapid line up: Novota (46. Maric) Pavelic, Hofmann M. (46. Sonnleitner), Pichler (46. Dibon), Palla (46. Denner) Boskovic (46. Behrendt), Wydra (46. Trimmel) Hofmann S. (46. Grozurek) Sabitzer (46. Schrammel), Burgstaller (46. Boyd), Schaub (46. Bajrami)
09.07.2013