UECL Q3: Pure Penalty Drama in Dundee!

An evening of European football in Scotland: After the 2-2 draw in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, a tense second leg against Dundee United took place on Thursday. The away win against Sturm Graz in the league gave us confidence to take with us on the flight to the UK, along with around 500 Rapid fans. A place in the play-off round was the day’s clear target, and SK Rapid’s first competitive win on Scottish soil would do the trick. If only things were that simple…

Head coach Peter Stöger relied on the following Rapid players: Niklas Hedl was between the posts; in defence were Jannes Horn, Serge-Philippe Raux-Yao, Nenad Cvetković and Bendi Bolla; Romeo Amane and Mama Sangaré fuelled the midfield engine, while Petter Nosa Dahl, captain Matthias Seidl, European debutant Dominik Weixelbraun and Janis Antiste turned the screws in attack.

From the opening minutes on, there was a high tempo in the game, and neither side was giving an inch. The first shot belonged to the hosts, but Niki Hedl was able to pluck the ball out of the air without any problems. Janis Antiste then gradually came into his own, pressing well and testing the Scottish goalkeeper with the first Green & White shot (8'). Just four minutes later, Antiste picked up the ball again, this time hitting the side-netting (12’). Even though we were better in the game at this point, things took a turn, as they so often do: the hosts found a gap in our defence with a good cross and took the lead with a header, 1-0 United, 3-2 on aggregate (25'). The goal threw us off our stride a little, yet it was Bendi Bolla who had the next chance - unfortunately, his powerful strike was parried after a cross from Petter Nosa Dahl (35’). Again we were on top in the contest and once more we suffered a setback rather than a celebration: After a foul by SP Raux-Yao, the hosts were awarded a penalty after a VAR check, which they converted to make it 2-0 (42'). Half time.

The second 45 minutes began with a double substitution, with Ercan Kara and Andrija Radulović replacing Matthias Seidl and Dominik Weixelbraun. The first real chance then fell to Dahl, who shot hard after an assist from Bolla, but the goalkeeper was on hand again (55'). A little later, Ercan Kara's header again lacked the necessary luck (58'), but then the momentum was finally on our side, after a corner kick by Bendi Bolla, the ball was flicked-on by Janis Antiste and deflected into the net by an opponent: a lifeline, 2-1 (63')! The goal brought some new impetus, as did the freshly substituted Niki Wurmbrand, who replaced Romeo Amane (66'). The hosts' goalkeeper had a good day as Kara's shot to the far corner was somehow tipped past the post (72'), but then we showed what the Rapid Quarter-hour and a magical European night is all about: After a cross from Niki Wurmbrand whipped-in from the left, super-sub Ercan Kara flicked a heel in the centre and scored the equaliser with a beautiful finish into the corner, 2-2 (78’)! In the final minutes of normal time, Furkan Demir came on instead of Jannes Horn (87') and the game went to extra time.

The extra 30 minutes were a tough battle: the Scots had a great chance after a defensive error, but Niki Hedl kept us in the game with an incredibly strong save (100'). Claudy Mbuyi and Lukas Grgić were then brought on, replacing Petter Nosa Dahl and Janis Antiste (106', 110'). The momentum was slowly deflating, and understandably, the energy was no longer really there to push for a winner after almost 120 minutes. The game would therefore be decided by a penalty shoot-out!

Crucially, the Rapid players remained cool under pressure: Ercan Kara, Claudy Mbuyi, Andrija Radulović, Serge-Philippe Raux-Yao and Bendi Bolla all scored confidently from the spot, while the hosts put their first penalty against the woodwork - so after trailing 2-0 before a strong show of mentality and strength, we were finally able to celebrate making it into the UEFA Conference League play-off after all! BRAVO, RAPID!

Note: We will now face nearby ETO Györ in the UECL play-off! The first leg will take place next Thursday in Hungary, the second leg is on August 28th in Hütteldorf!

Fotos: GEPA