With a lot of effort and a bit of luck, SK Rapid cleared the hurdle of Wacker Innsbruck in the first round.
Late but sure, SK Rapid pulled their heads out of the noose in the cup thriller at Wacker Innsbruck. The Bundesliga club struggled for a long time in the sold-out Tivoli stadium. This was also because the newly promoted third division side put in a very good performance and made life difficult for Rapid for a long time.
And there was plenty of praise for the Hütteldorf side. “They’re on the right track. When you see the enthusiasm, you know they belong at the top,” said Rapid coach Peter Stöger after the game on ORF. Captain Matthias Seidl echoed this sentiment: “We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. A full house and a team that gives it their all.“
It wasn’t until the 78th minute that defender Bendeguz Bolla redeemed the visitors with a thunderous free kick. The Hungarian hammered the ball into the far corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. ”He’s a talented player who has quality in attack and is also clinical in front of goal,” said Stöger about the goalscorer.
Wacker equalizer disallowed – Rapid on the “luckier side”
A disallowed Wacker equalizer in the 89th minute caused controversy. After a cross from Luis Gstrein, Okan Yilmaz headed the ball into the Rapid goal. However, referee Stefan Macanovic saw a foul by the home side and disallowed the goal. Wacker couldn’t believe it, and the Tivoli erupted. Stöger, who had difficulty judging the TV images, said of the scene: “The guys on our bench saw a push. We were the luckier side.”
The disappointment was written all over the faces of the Innsbruck players after the final whistle. For 90 minutes, coach Sebastian Siller’s team proved that they can hold their own against the Bundesliga side. “We put up a heroic fight and unfortunately weren’t rewarded,” said the Wacker coach.
Bolla: “It’s clear that we need to improve.”
As in Thursday’s Conference League qualifying first leg at Decic Tuzi, Rapid’s problems were clearly evident in Innsbruck. Stöger commented: “I don’t need to beat around the bush. We know what we’ve lost in attack and that we need to replace those players.“ Young players who are new to the club are given responsibility early on. ”It’s no surprise to me that not everything is running smoothly right away,” said the Rapid coach.
Goalscorer Bolla also sees plenty of room for improvement in both defense and attack. “The most important thing is that we’re through to the next round. But it’s clear that we need to improve.” However, Rapid doesn’t have much time. The second leg against Decic Tuzi is already coming up on Thursday in Hütteldorf, and on Sunday, Stöger’s team will face Blau-Weiß Linz in their Bundesliga opener.