Rapid return to winning ways in Amstetten

Rapid returned to action in the UNIQA ÖFB Cup on Thursday evening, with a trip away to second division side Amstetten on the agenda. After suffering a painful late equaliser in the league last weekend, the cup would be a chance for the team to get that winning feeling back, and with it, book their passage to the quarter finals.

Head Coach Didi Kühbauer unfortunately had to do without Richi Strebinger, Dejan Petrovic, and also Leo Greiml, who was taken off injured in the last match. The 4-2-3-1 formation therefore saw Pauli Gartler starting in goal, with a back four of Jonas Auer, Emanuel Aiwu, Filip Stojkovic and Thorsten Schick. Our captain for the game was Srdjan Grahovac, who partnered Robert Ljubicic in defensive midfield, as Marco Grüll, Taxi Fountas and Thierno Ballo made up the attacking trio behind striker Ercan Kara.

In the founding colours of blue and red, Rapid started off strongly. A corner almost led to the opening goal, but Kara’s shot was blocked when the ball came his way in the box (5’). After an opening phase in which our team controlled much of the game, we did manage to hit the front not long later. Grüll was on the ball, prowling around the edge of the Amstetten area before he spotted a difficult through pass in to Ljubicic on the left. Our midfielder pulled the trigger from close range, but as the ball cannoned back off the bar, it fell for Ballo to prod it towards Kara, who crucially was able to convert for his second cup goal of the campaign. 1-0 (13’)!

 The next shot came from Auer, but it sailed just wide (15’), yet the hosts were putting up a fight and playing good football, and they replied with a shot of their own when Deinhofer forced Gartler into action in the Rapid goal (20’), just seconds later he had to be alert again to stop a dangerous attack (21’). Despite those chances, it was our traveling band of away supporters who were next to cheer. A high ball into the area landed with Schick on the right hand side, and after a tangling of legs in the box, Fountas got in front of goal to tap in the low cross that came his way: 2-0, and some welcome breathing space for the boys in blue and red (27’)!

 The second goal made it appear that Rapid were cruising, but the home team found their groove once more for the remainder of the first half, and when a cross from the right was played towards Feiertag, his header needed a reflex stop from the Rapid keeper to hold on to our two-goal cushion at half time (45’).

After the break, we were looking to keep things solid and make it a comfortable evening of cup football, and ten minutes after the restart, our captain gave Rapid a huge helping hand in that task. Grahovac fired a free kick from the edge of the area up over the wall, and in off the underside of the crossbar; a beautiful strike which left the Amstetten keeper with no chance, and in a sense killed off the contest at 3-0 (55’).

 The evening became a very special occasion for our young defender Martin Moormann, who at 20 years of age marked his first appearance in the senior matchday squad with his first run out for Rapid when he was brought on just after the hour mark (61’). What a moment for him, and hopefully it’s the first of many. Opponents Amstetten continued to give it their all despite trailing by three, and as the closing stages came around Ammerer hammered a shot off the crossbar from inside the area (82’), before Kovacec was denied a consolation goal by the excellent Gartler, who wasn’t giving up his clean sheet even in a one on one situation (89’). The whistle blew not long later and it was all over, 3-0 on the road it finished.

 All in all the result was just what Rapid needed; a drama-free place in the last eight of the cup was secured, and a bit of confidence and momentum is back in the boots as we look forward to important games in the Bundesliga and in Europe, beginning with LASK at home in Hütteldorf on Sunday evening. RAPID!

Fotos: GEPA