Five Star Rapid Get Back to Winning Ways

After suffering from a tough start to 2025 in the Bundesliga, the beginning of a new month meant a chance to put recent defeats in the rear-view mirror, and push on with a home game against SCR Altach. Niki Hedl was back between the posts for SK Rapid, and Matthias Seidl wore the captain’s armband once again as Head Coach Robert Klauß set out a side with the urgent requirement of getting back to winning ways.

With the game being played under blue skies and in comfortable, cool conditions, the home side were the first ones to heat things up. Seidl’s early cross from the right was smartly poked towards goal by Louis Schaub at the near post, and the visiting keeper had to make his first stop of the afternoon to tip the ball over the bar (6’). The next chance came soon after, and this time, Altach stopper Dejan Stojanovic was powerless to prevent the ball hitting the back of the net! A low Seidl set-piece delivery from just outside of the area was met by Nenad Cvetkovic, who got just enough on the ball to bounce it past the wrong-footed keeper and in (8’), with the boys in Green & White keenly celebrating what felt like an important early goal for 1-0.

It took Altach a quarter of an hour before they gave Niki Hedl something to do, and when they did test him, Florian Dietz’s weak shot on the turn was easily collected by the Rapid keeper (16’). Seconds later, at the other end of the field, an Isak Jansson cross from the left was just inches away from finding the head of striker Dion Beljo in the box (16’), as the hosts stayed firmly on the hunt for goal number two. Defender Cvetkovic then nearly had a second goal himself, but his point-blank header was right at the keeper who made a good stop on the line (18’). A steady stream of half-chances were being created, the next of which was a rocket of a shot from full-back Jonas Auer, but his daisy-cutter from outside the box slammed into the side-netting (22’). Schaub then dummied a shot three times in the area, before laying off to the left for Jansson, whose angled drive was easily saved (23’). Schaub again reacted well in the box to angle a header backwards towards goal, only to see it plucked from the air by Stojanovic (29’) as the scoreline remained just 1-0.

After half an hour an Altach throw-in came all the way over to the “D”, before Vesel Demaku’s shot drew a decent save from Hedl, who had to dive down to his right. The same player soon lifted a shot over the bar in the strongest phase of play from the guests, but as the half-time interval approached the game became a more balanced contest, and the two teams would go in at the break with Rapid still leading by one.

It took a few minutes for the teams to find their second-half tempo, but it was Rapid who attacked first, with Mama Sangare firing over (51’) and Nenad Cvetkovic heading the resulting corner kick over the top (52’), before Louis Schaub drifted a little too far to the right on a breakaway, sending his shot just wide of the front post (54’). It was a good way to get the hosts going though, and the hunt for the second goal was back up to speed. Moments later, Isak Jansson would be successful in that hunt, and how! He cut in from the left, took aim from the edge of the area, picking out the far corner with a brilliant finish. 2-0 Rapid (56’)!

The importance of the second goal was soon driven home, as an Altach break was stopped illegally by Cvetkovic, and after VAR intervention his yellow card was upgraded to red, despite other defenders being in place to cover (62’). Jakob Schöller immediately came on as a tactical change was needed, but fortunately the game soon had even numbers again, as Altach’s Paul-Friedrich Koller picked up two quick cautions and therefore a red card (66’). From the resulting free kick, the ball fell kindly for Jansson on the far side, and he lashed in a low shot from the left to make it 3-0 (68’)!

With that, the contest was surely over, but Jansson kept on going, and when he dribbled deftly into the box at the start of the Rapid Quarter-hour, he was felled, giving Dion Beljo a chance from the penalty spot. His initial kick was saved, but he kept calm to slot home the rebound and extend the lead to 4-0 (78’)! Isak Jansson was then given a rapturous reception as he left the field along with Sangare and Beljo, on came Tobias Börkeeiet, Ercan Kara and Nikolaus Wurmbrand (79’). The final ten minutes were somewhat quieter, but the Green & Whites finished the game strongly, when Börkeeiet’s shot was touched onto the crossbar, before second half sub Andrija Radulovic scored for the second successive game, heading the rebound over the line in front of the Block West to cap things off at 5-0 (90’+4)!

What a way to get three precious points on the board! A brilliant performance, a five-goal win, and a confidence-boosting Saturday before we head to Bosnia to face Borac Banja Luka next week. Let’s go, Rapid!

 Fotos: GEPA