One-sided game helps Rapid establish a first-leg lead against Famagusta

On Thursday, it was time for another European night at home in Hütteldorf, as we faced Anothorsis Famagusta of Cyprus in UEFA Europa League qualifying. The atmosphere in the stands, the glow of the floodlights, everything was in place to set up another special European evening for Rapid. Regarding personnel however, the outlook wasn’t quite so bright. Just as in Prague a week prior, we had to contend with a number of short-term absences. Filip Stojkovic and Dejan Petrovic were both unavailable due to illness, and therefore changes in the starting XI who secured a point away in Pasching were inevitable. Maxi Hofmann once again pulled on the captain’s armband after recovering from a muscular issue, Leo Greiml started alongside him in defence, with Max Ullmann and Thorsten Schick selected as the two full-backs. Christoph Knasmüllner was shifted a little further back than usual, performing defensive midfield duties with Srdjan Grahovac, and the team was rounded off by Ercan Kara and Taxi Fountas up front, with Marco Grüll and Kelvin Arase on the wings.

The fans in Block West got things going with a stunning tifo, and the team responded with a high energy opening to the game. Schick used a burst of pace with the ball at his feet before he played in Arase; after receiving a return pass our number 13 fired a shot narrowly past the far post (7’). It would have been a fantastic moment, but nevertheless our next attack came hot on its heels. Once more Arase was the facilitator, but this time it was Fountas who missed the target from the edge of the area (9’). Our Cypriot opposition were finding it impossible to get into any dangerous areas, instead it was Rapid who continually created the best shooting chances, with the next one falling for Grahovac after a lovely dummy gave him some room. The shot was well-struck, but the ball deflected off an opponent’s leg and away to safety (21’).

Mid-way through the first half, the quality of our chances increased. After a quick switch of play, Arase kept a cool head under pressure, having the presence of mind to pick out Fountas who then hammered a shot on goal from 20 yards, only to see it come thundering back off the crossbar at the half-hour mark. With chances building up and no goal to show for it, the crowd’s intensity was rising ever higher, which in turn spurred the boys on further. Schick took a corner from the left, Knasmüllner got in at the near post to play a perfect flick-on header across goal, and Kara was the one waiting to head the ball home from close to the goal line! 1-0, and a fully deserved lead (35’)! We almost repeated the trick four minutes later, but the visiting keeper was fortunate enough to make the stop. The final moment of the half also belonged to the dominant home team, as Fountas took aim at goal again, this time watching on as the Famagusta keeper tipped the ball around the post just in time. Still, we were in front at the break!

The half time interval did affect the game, but it didn’t shift the momentum of play, as Rapid successfully picked up where they had left off in the first 45 minutes. As we turned up the heat again, Kara was played in well inside the area, and when his heel was clipped, the referee pointed to the spot! Knasmüllner confidently stepped up to take the penalty, and yet agonisingly he failed to beat Famagusta’s substitute keeper, who had just come on following a knock for his teammate (61’). On some occasions a team might crumble after missing such a good chance, but this was not such an occasion for Rapid. We continued to play with pace and power, and as Rapid players drove forward leaving the away team in their dust, Fountas received the ball, turned, and struck goalwards from distance. The technique was brilliant, and the ball moved in the air enough to deceive the goalkeeper and ripple the back of the net! 2-0 (64’)!

 At that point the game looked beyond the Cypriot team, and Rapid’s superiority looked set to secure a home win in the first leg of the tie. It was already the special European evening we had all been hoping for, and the best thing was, it wasn’t over yet! On the contrary, a big moment was still to come, and Grüll was the one to celebrate it, as he capped another fine performance with a drop of the shoulder and a low shot into the bottom corner for 3-0 (83’), notching his first European goal in Green & White in the process.

 It was the perfect end to a fine football match from Rapid, and it leaves us in a good position for the return leg in Larnaca next week. It certainly does no harm for our self-confidence to register a one-sided 3-0 win, but we all know that we have another 90 minutes to go before anyone seals a ticket to the play-off round!

Fotos: GEPA