With the tension rising before kick off, all tickets for the match sold out weeks in advance and anticipation peaking, Club Service Manager/Rapid icon Andy Marek went about his usual business of reading out the team sheets. He came to number ten and left the moment hanging in the air - number ten? Why the pause? Number 10 Louis Schaub! The young Rapid play-maker has taken over the famous number ten shirt after bursting onto the scene in spectacular fashion this year. It was confirmation, if any was needed, that the talented young forward has a big part to play in this maturing side in the seasons to come. The good news kept coming for Schaub who also picked up the fans "Rapid player of the year award."Hosiner feeds De Paula as Austria steal aheadThere was no change in the atmosphere surrounding this bitter city clash however as both teams got stuck in from the get go, neither prepared to yield an inch to the opponent. It didn't take long for the emotion to boil over: Violets Captain Ortlechner picked up the first yellow card of the match just seconds after kick off for a rash challenge on Vienna derby veteran Steffen Hofmann. Rapid, driven on by a raucous home crowd, made the better start: new number 10 Schaub tested Lindner in the Austria goal with a sharp effort from the edge of the box (9.), the resulting corner was headed just over by another product of the prolific Rapid Academy, Max Hofmann, who was starting at centre back in place of the suspended Christopher Dibon. Austria hit back and nearly forged ahead as Ortlechner turned a cross onto the post from a tight angle. The lottery of the rebound favoured Rapid and the danger was cleared (16.). Max Hofmann was proving a handful for the Violets, as he again rose highest at a corner and despite making good contact, got his angles slightly wrong and the ball went narrowly wide (24.). Just minutes later the deadlock was broken, but not in the manner the majority of the 17.000 strong crowd would have wanted: Hosiner pounced on a loose ball in midfield and, with Hofmann and Sonnleitner too far apart from each other, slid Spaniard De Paula in on goal who made no mistake, rounding Jan Novota before sliding the ball into the unguarded net - 0:1 and a real test of the young Rapid sides mental toughness (26.).A mixture of genius and luck hauled Rapid back onto level terms ten minutes later: a sublime Steffen Hofmann free kick from a central position on the edge of the box beat Lindner all ends up, but crashed off the crossbar back into the six yard box, hitting Austria man Rogulj who diverted it into his own net - 1:1 and a thoroughly deserved equaliser!Rapid spirit alive and kickingThe own goal was the last major goalmouth action of an entertaining first half, and unsurprisingly neither manager saw the need to make changes during the half time break. The start of the second period was a much cagier affair than the first: both teams largely cancelled each other out, with the feeling that the next goal could prove crucial in the air. Thanos Petsos tried his luck from long range (49.), but goal mouth incident remained sparse. As the game wore on it looked likely that if there was to be a winner it was going to be Rapid: Austria were dropping deeper and deeper, sacrificing attacking potency in favour of defensive solidity. Meanwhile Rapid were well in control of the game but without creating too much to trouble the Violet's defence. Then hairs stood up on the backs of necks as the Green & White number 33 was introduced from the bench: to a rapturous applause Deni Alar set foot back onto the Hütteldorf turf for the first time since his terrible injury. Alar's introduction lifted the crowd and the team, and the crucial breakthrough goal followed: an in-swinging Hofmann corner was guided home from close range by Marcel Sabitzer - 2:1 (79.) and the Hanappi rocking! Before Austria had a chance to launch a fightback, Lindner was picking the ball out of the net for the third time: another corner found its way to the back of the six yard box where it was met by Sonnleitner, who stroked the ball home into the near post to finish off Austria and send them off to Favoriten well beaten - 3:1 (83.)!!The full time whistle went and Rapid had ended their home hoodoo against Austria - stretching back four seasons. What can this emerging, young Rapid side achieve in 2014? Brushing Austria aside in the first match of the year is a great way to start!tipp3-Bundesliga, Match Day 22:SK Rapid - FK Austria 3:1 (1:1)Gerhard Hanappi-Stadium, 17.000, Ref DrachtaGoals: 0:1 (26.) De Paula, 1:1 (36.) Rogulj (o.g.), 2:1 (79.) Sabitzer, 3:1 (84.) SonnleitnerSK Rapid: Novota - Trimmel, Sonnleitner, M. Hofmann, Schrammel - Petsos, Boskovic - Schaub (78. Alar) - S. Hofmann (86. Starkl), Burgstaller (90. Pavelic), SabitzerAustria: Lindner - F. Koch, Rogulj, Ortlechner, Suttner - Holland - Murg (69. Royer), De Paula (74. Stankovic), Mader, Salamon - Hosiner (79. Kamara)Yellow Cards: Trimmel, S. Hofmann Ortlechner, Holland(gw)
09.02.2014