A spectacular comeback: Friendly match ends 5-3!

The next step towards normality after Rapid’s recent training camp cancellation led us to Bad Erlach on Wednesday afternoon. There we played our second test match in the course of our off-season preparations, facing Czech first division team SFC Opava. The game got underway in sweltering conditions, with some spectators allowed and with the return of veteran Mario Sonnleitner to the starting eleven, but in the opening phase, it was mainly the guests who made their mark: Richi Strebinger had to be alert to parry an early shot (2’) .Shortly afterwards, however, our goalkeeper was beaten, when after a high ball into the penalty area a header hit the bar and the rebound was eventually swept in (7’).

Rapid reacted though: After some link-up play between several players, Taxi Fountas made an attempt on the turn which flew past the far corner (18’). Our Greek striker was also involved in the next notable action when, after Thomas Murg's cross, he headed wide of the goal (29’). Instead, it was Opava who had the ball in the net again, when after a counter attack, and yet another rebound off the bar, the deficit became two (37’). The third moment involving the woodwork was at least one at the right end, but a scooped effort from Kelvin Arase came back off the crossbar, and so we trailed by two at the break.

In the second half, things got even worse for us: A high ball into the penalty area was headed back across the six-yard box, and Opava had little trouble converting from close range to make it 3-0 (52’). Now a show of strength was needed, and the one that followed saw us fight back impressively on the pitch: From a corner kick Leo Greiml headed in to reduce the arrears to 3-1 (55’). Then from a free kick, another header, this time it was Koya Kitagawa who was able to bring us back to within one goal at 3-2 (58’) - what a response inside just a few minutes! Rapid underlined this new-found strength even after several substitutions: Following a ‘keeper error, Ercan Kara reacted fastest and was able to capitalise on an open goal to level things up at 3-3 (69’)!

The Rapid players were now hungry for more, we pushed on and wanted to turn the game fully on its head - and we managed just that! After Kitagawa's strong hold-up play in the penalty area he set-up Kara, who turned the game around, making it 4-3 from close range (85’)! We even saved the most beautiful goal for last, a sublime free-kick from Christoph Knasmüllner into the corner just before the end of the game proved the team’s solid will to win, and completed the comeback in style (87’). It finished 5-3 to Rapid, a result that was not looking likely after trailing 3-0, but one which was therefore all the sweeter for being so hard-earned!

Head coach Didi Kühbauer: "It was good for us to win this game, and it was a well-deserved victory. In the first half we went missing in the challenges and let our opponents take control. In the second half we performed much better and scored the goals at the right time. Everybody has to take it on the chin and improve things both off the ball and also on it - because normally you don't come back like that after being 3-0 down."

(tm)

Friendly:
SK Rapid - SFC Opava 5:3 (0:2)
Mittwoch, 12th of August 2020
Sportplatz Bad Erlach

Goals: 0:1 (7.), 0:2 (37.), 0:3 (52.), 1:3 Greiml (55.), 2:3 Kitagawa (58.), 3:3 Kara (69.), 4:3 Kara (85.), 5:3 Knasmüllner (87.);

SK Rapid: Strebinger (46. Gartler); Schick (60. Sulzbacher), Sonnleitner (60. Ljubicic), Hofmann (46. Greiml), Ullmann (60. Stojkovic); Petrovic (46. Knasmüllner), Ibrahimoglu; Murg (60. Alar), Kitagawa, Arase (60. Savic); Fountas (60. Kara);

Pictures: GEPA Pictures.