Conference-League-Quali is on the line for Rapid Wien after 1:2 against ETO Györ

Rapid's chance for a second consecutive participation in the Conference League league phase is alive, but the Green-Whites need a successful comeback after part one. In the play-off first leg at ETO Györ, the Austrian Bundesliga team lost 1-2 (0-0) on Thursday. Under coach Peter Stöger, this marked Rapid's first defeat of the season. The decisive second leg will take place next Thursday (7:00 PM) at the Allianz Stadium.

1-2 at ETO Györ First Rapid Defeat Under Stöger

After a first half lacking in highlights, the match picked up pace after the break. Zeljko Gavric, once a protégé of Stöger at Ferencvaros, scored a volley just seconds after the restart in the 46th minute to give a 1-0 lead. The previously substituted Nikolaus Wurmbrand (61st) soon equalized, but Gavric (82nd) secured the decision with his second goal.

For Rapid, Lukas Grgic started in central midfield in place of Mamadou Sangaré, who moved to Lens, and Louis Schaub played on the right wing for Andrija Radulovic. It was the first starting lineup appearance under Stöger for the former Germany legionnaire. As captain, defense chief Nenad Cvetkovic led his team onto the field, which was severely affected by a fungal infestation, while the regular captain Matthias Seidl took a seat on the bench, as he did on Sunday in the 0-0 draw against Altach.

Rapid Players in Red Offensively Inaccurate

The more active team at the beginning were the Hungarians, who combined with pace going forward and sought to finish from all possible and rather impossible positions. However, nothing tangible came out of it. More by chance, Ercan Kara appeared alone in front of goalkeeper Samuel Petras in the 10th minute, but the striker had very little space - the only major chance for Rapid in the first half. In the 17th minute, Petras defused an attempt by Janis Antiste.

The Rapid players, appearing entirely in red, then became more confident on the ball, but continued to deliver mainly patchwork offensively. Well-intended actions were often executed inaccurately and too slowly to be able to outmaneuver the ETO defense. Yet, an own goal by defender Mark Csinger (30th) almost helped the guests to take the lead. Romeo Amane (35th) shot wide from a greater distance.

Györ took the lead at the restart

At the start of the second half, Stöger brought Wurmbrand and Claudy Mbuyi into the game for Schaub and Kara, but only seconds after the kickoff, the Serb Gavric scored for Györ after a quick attack down the left side and an Ouro cross. Rapid responded promptly: In the counterattack, Antiste (47th) was only centimeters away, and a Cvetkovic header (49th) was saved by Petras. The equalizer by Wurmbrand from a tight angle was then not undeserved, as the Viennese now pulled the strings and were constant guests in the opponent's half.

Nevertheless, it was not enough to take a respectable result from Hungary. Gavric shot from just under 20 meters from a half-left position with his right foot and hit the top corner precisely. In the final minutes, Rapid was unable to turn the tide.

(APA/Red)

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