ÖFB Cup: Five-Star Rapid Cruise into Quarters

Rapid cruised into the next round of the ÖFB Cup after Marco Grüll’s goal kicked off an efficient attacking display on the road in Amstetten on Wednesday.

On the national holiday of November 1st, Rapid were called into UNIQA ÖFB Cup action to face SKU Amstetten away in the Round of 16. Unfortunately, Maximilian Hofmann missed out with an illness, and Guido Burgstaller required some extra recovery time after his long injury absence. Marco Grüll therefore wore the captain's armband, and there were also a few changes from the previous starting XI with Martin Moormann, Michael Sollbauer, Moritz Oswald, Roman Kerschbaum, Nana Kasanwirjo and Fally Mayulu coming in from the get-go.

The opening period started with a high-tempo back-and-forth, but we were quickly able to take control of the game. Marco Grüll put the first real shot over the crossbar after a fine assist from Fally Mayulu (10'), before Michael Sollbauer placed a header just past the post (16'). Nic Kühn then had the best chance when he failed to connect with the ball perfectly after a beautiful pass from Matthias Seidl and fired only just off-target (26'). But then, after a clear foul on Marco Grüll, he was rightly awarded a penalty, which our number 27 himself coolly slotted into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 (30')! We kept combining nicely going forward, and after some wonderful interplay between Matthias Seidl and Marco Grüll, Nic Kühn was able to finish off the move and scored his first Cup goal in the process, making it 2-0 (39')! It had been a quiet day at the office for Niki Hedl up to that point, with only a powerful shot from the Lower Austrians ending up well off-target before the break. Rapid therefore took a deserved two-goal advantage with them as they headed for the changing rooms at half time.

The second 45 minutes got off to a similarly fast-paced start, with Martin Moormann having the first chance of the half when he headed into the hands of the Lower Austrian goalkeeper after a corner kick (48'). But just a few minutes later, the ball was in the net once again: Following a smart corner routine, Martin Moormann laid the ball off to Roman Kerschbaum, who was in the right place to make it 3-0 (54')! And that wasn't all; Nic Kühn then fired up his afterburners, passed to Marco Grüll neatly with his heel, and our number 27 suddenly had a brace to his name, 4-0 (57')! The fourth goal saw the first substitutions on our side, with Oliver Strunz and Thierry Gale coming on for Nic Kühn and two-goal hero Grüll (59'). However, the next action then belonged to Amstetten, who pulled a goal back for 4-1 with their first dangerous chance (64').

The next double substitution followed, with Lukas Grgić and Thorsten Schick (who made his 150th competitive appearance for the Green & Whites), coming on for Matthias Seidl and Nana Kasanwirjo (68'). Roman Kerschbaum then hammered a direct free-kick against the crossbar just before the Rapid quarter-hour (74'), before Patrick Greil came on in place of Moritz Oswald (77'). Later on, we were treated to a very early contender for November’s goal of the month, as Fally Mayulu turned swiftly and fired into the net to make it, 5-1 (85')!

The fifth goal finished off a tie which had been beyond doubt long before the final whistle. The team therefore booked their place in the quarter-finals of the UNIQA ÖFB Cup with a confident display, and an efficient performance in front of goal - bravo Rapid!

Fotos: GEPA