Zoran Barisic showed faith in the side that had dispatched SV Ried at the weekend: only one enforced change was implemented for the Champions League 3rd Round Qualifier against Ajax Amsterdam on Wednesday, with Stefan Stangl coming in for the long-term injured Thomas Schrammel. The Green & Whites were welcomed to the pitch by a sea of 43.300 fans Ajax themselves brought a not inconsiderable travelling contingent of 900 supporters. After an early period of both teams finding their way into this incredibly important match, Rapid got a couple of sights of the Ajax goal: firstly Steffen Hofmann fired narrowly over with a long range effort from just outside the penalty area (18.) before Stangl registered Rapid's first effort on target, testing Ajax keeper Cillessen from a tight angle (20.).However it seemed that Rapid's forward forays served only to wake the slumbering Dutch giants and sting them into action: Sinkgraven easily evaded Auer's attempted tackle, danced into the penalty area and slid the ball to Klaassen, who let the ball come across his body before guiding a smart left footed finish beyond Novota's reach into the bottom right hand corner - 0:1 (25.). Ajax nearly capitalised on ensuing indecision in the Rapid back-line directly following the goal, but El Ghazi screwed his effort wide when he looked odds on to score (26.). Thanos Petsos attempted to stem the ominous looking tide with another long range effort (28.), but the guests shifted up another gear and began to exert even more pressure on Jan Novota's goal.Slick Dutchman step up a gearAnother swift attack put El Ghazi through on Novota, where he elected to shoot rather than play the ball to the unmarked Gudelj in the centre, and, fortunately for Rapid, he guided the ball beyond the far post with the outside of his boot with the goal at his mercy (36.). Sinkgraven then almost added a second himself (38.), but missed the chance to add a second after intricate football in the Rapid box put him in a wonderful shooting position just a few feet from the goal line (38.). Not to be deterred, Sinkgraven turned provider as a second duly arrived just minutes before half time: after giving Auer more problems down the Rapid right he swung over a deep cross into the penalty area that was again met by Klaassen, who got just enough purchase on the ball as he headed it back in the direction it came and into the corner of the net - 0:2 (43.). The whistle came as welcome relief to a Rapid side who had been taught something of a footballing lesson in the first half. They would now need to show real grit and toughness, and no little skill, to pull themselves back into the match...A different Rapid emerge for second halfAn unchanged Hütteldorfer eleven returned for the second half, but Zoran Barisic's half time team talk seemed to do the trick as they reverted to doing what has served them so well in the recent past and began to look a much improved outfit. Ajax's flowing football was stopped in the build up phase, as Rapid pressed high, hard and early, turning over possession and getting on the ball in dangerous areas. The new aggression and energy was quickly rewarded after the re-start: Robert Beric broke down the right hand flank and swung a beautiful low cross into the box towards Flo Kainz, who showed excellent movement to evade his marker, get to the ball first, and then slam home a powerful first time shot beyond Cillessen to breathe new life and belief back into the tie - 1:2 (48.)!!! The weight of the 43.000 Rapid fans could now be felt as the atmosphere inside the stadium began to bubble, and this was heightened when Kainz tricked inside his marker to test the Ajax keeper with a low left footed shot (55.). But then Rapid were dealt another blow: possibly overly motivated by the situation and the electric atmosphere, Stefan Schwab recklessly launched into a two footed challenge on Riedewald and was correctly shown a red card. With Rapid reduced to ten the task in front of them had become even harder.Hütteldorfers complete comeback against the oddsGrahovac and Schaub were introduced from the bench, and gaps began to appear across the park. Despite being reduced to ten and despite Ajax's well known passing abilities, the new openness in the game was benefiting Rapid. Thanos Petsos went close with another long ranger, but got his angles just wrong (70.), before Cillesen was forced to rush off his line to clear before the onrushing Stangl (73.). As the crowd rose to their feet in time honoured tradition to usher in the final fifteen minutes, the final fifteen minutes of matches that are so entwined with Rapid's history, the equaliser arrived. The high pressing game was in full effect as the Hütteldorfers stole possession off Ajax high up the pitch, before a quick passing move sent Schaub towards the penalty area in plenty of space. Schaub drew in the last man, looked up and picked out Robert Beric in the centre, who took a touch before stabbing the ball past the keeper and into the net - 2:2 - wild celebrations in the stands, disbelief in the Ajax ranks and ecstasy amongst the ten in Green & White (75:)!!!!!The closing stages were a tense and nervy affair, with both teams creating half chances as they looked to snatch the victory. The best chance fell to Bazoer in the dying moments, but Jan Novota repelled the effort to ensure all Rapid's hard work wouldn't be undone (87.). The whistle went with the score at 2:2 and the players received richly deserved applause from the stands for their outstanding second half fightback. Rapid have shown they can compete with the Amsterdam side, create chances and score goals. The second half also showed the Hütteldorfers have the ability to contain the free flowing Dutch brand of football. We'll travel to Amsterdam next week knowing that anything is possible! CL-Quali, 3rd round:SK Rapid - Ajax Amsterdam 2:2 (0:2)Ernst-Happel-Stadium, 43.200 Attendance, Ref Collum (SCO)Goals: 0:1 Klaassen (25.), 0:2 Klaassen (43.), 1:2 Kainz (48.), 2:2 Beric (76.) SK Rapid: Novota - Auer, Sonnleitner, M. Hofmann, Stangl - Petsos, Schwab - Schobesberger (69./Schaub), S. Hofmann (61./Grahovac), F. Kainz (84./Huspek) - Beric Ajax: Cillessen - Tete, Veltman, Riedewald, Dijks - Bazoer, Klaassen, Gudelj - El Ghazi (74./Fischer), Milik (84./Sanogo), Sinkgraven Yellow Cards: Petsos Klaassen, Veltman Red Card: Schwab (58./Foul) (gw)
30.07.2015