Third Straight Loss away to LASK

After a very difficult start to the new year, extremely important points were at stake again in Linz on Sunday, as Rapid travelled west to face LASK. The personnel situation offered up a few changes before the game, with keeper Paul Gartler moving into the starting XI due to Niklas Hedl's suspension, and Moritz Oswald and Ercan Kara also starting due to Mama Sangaré and Dion Beljo's suspensions for an accumulation of yellow cards. Captain Matthias Seidl was also back in the starting line-up, while our two new signings Ange Ahoussou and Andrija Radulović made their first appearances in the squad, taking places on the bench.

The start of the game was very much a close-contest, but it was the home side who had the first look at goal via a shot which went wide (4’). After a slick combination of passes from the Green & Whites, our first opening would be carved out through Jonas Auer and Isak Jansson, who linked up to find Bendi Bolla free in the box. Alas, his effort was blocked by a last-ditch defensive intervention (17’). Rapid were able to apply more pressure after that, but the resulting efforts at goal - from Kara and Seidl among others - were unable to give our team the lead. Then, as is so often the case, failure to score at one end meant conceding at the other. To add another of football’s classic cliches, ex-Rapidler Christoph Lang was the one to win the ball after a misplaced pass, and he left Paul Gartler with no chance, as LASK took the lead (31’). Rapid quickly began the quest for an equaliser, and the team remained calm having gone behind; looking at the possession and shooting stats, we were well on top. Unfortunately, this would not be reflected in the scoreline, and after one more shot from Bolla, we’d go in at the break 1-0 down.

We returned to the pitch with renewed energy, but the game was dominated by the hosts at the start of the second half. After a great opportunity for LASK, Paul Gartler made a strong save (54') before sending out a misplaced pass - fortunately he made up for the mistake with another textbook stop (56')! Head coach Robert Klauß took Moritz Oswald off for Niki Wurmbrand (59'), but in the next moment it was goalie Gartler again, who was called upon to defuse a dangerous shot thanks to his strong reflexes (61'). Our game then went from strength to strength, but unfortunately not with the desired outcome. Shortly before the Rapid quarter-hour, we created a double chance, first Isak Jansson failed to beat a defender, then the LASK goalkeeper deflected the ball onto the post from Matti Seidl's shot (73'). On came Jakob Schöller and Andrija Radulović (who was making his Rapid and Bundesliga debut) for the final phase in place of Jonas Auer and Louis Schaub (76'), but the next setback followed: the home side increased the lead to 2-0 with a shot into the corner (78'). We did have cause for celebration briefly in stoppage time, when debutant Andrija Radulović smoothly cut inside to the centre, and fired in a remarkable long-range shot to pick out the back of the net and reduce the deficit to 2-1 (90’+1). However, the excellent goal would still prove to be too little, too late, and we fell to defeat by the same scoreline.

On a painful weekend for the Green & Whites, we unfortunately set a negative record, with this being the first time in Bundesliga history that Rapid have lost the first three matches of a year. Now it’s time to come together and push onwards and upwards to put this recent trend behind us.

Fotos: GEPA