Football: Rapid Also Drops Points Against GAK

After champion Sturm Graz and runner-up Red Bull Salzburg, Rapid also suffered a defeat in the Sunday matches of the 14th round of the football Bundesliga. The Hütteldorf team lost 1-2 to the previous bottom team GAK in front of 19,124 spectators at the Allianz Stadium, but despite the third consecutive winless competitive match, they remain in second place. Thanks to their second win of the season, the Graz team handed over the "red lantern" to Blau-Weiß Linz.

The equalizer by Ercan Kara (74th minute) was not enough for the Viennese team to generate positive headlines after the 0-1 home defeat against Craiova in the Conference League and the 1-1 league draw at WSG Tirol. On the contrary, coach Peter Stöger will face further headwinds before the Europa Cup match at Rakow on Thursday. Daniel Maderner, with a converted, controversial penalty (67th minute), and Ramiz Harakate (84th minute) secured the first away win of the season for GAK. His team now has a two-point cushion from the bottom of the table.

Snowballs at the Allianz Stadium

At Rapid, there were three changes compared to the 1-1 draw in Tirol. The fit-again Petter Nosa Dahl, Kara, and Lukas Grgic were given the chance to prove themselves from the start, while Janis Antiste, Romeo Amane, and Jannes Horn initially sat on the bench. For the Graz team, there was only one change compared to the 1-2 loss at Austria. Maderner moved into the starting lineup after his goal against the Favoritner, with Murat Satin as a substitute.

Both teams were stingy with scoring chances in the freezing temperatures, and there was little evidence of a quality difference between the second-placed team and the bottom team. The hosts had two really dangerous actions in the offense before the break. A header from Ange Ahoussou went wide (8th minute), and a shot from Nikolaus Wurmbrand was saved by goalkeeper Jakob Meierhofer (19th minute). On the other side, Paul Gartler only had to intervene with a shot from Jano (30th minute). Before the following corner, snowballs were thrown towards the corner taker, and after a short interruption, play continued.

GAK Converts Penalty

But not for long. Jano twisted his ankle without any external influence and had to be driven off the field by paramedics after about seven minutes of treatment on the field. The suspicion of a fracture of the right ankle seems to be confirmed. Rapid also lost a player to injury before the halftime break, with Serge-Philippe Raux-Yao suffering an ankle injury.

Horn came into the game at halftime, as did Marco Tilio. However, highlights were initially absent again. A penalty decision by referee Stefan Ebner in the 64th minute caused a stir after Nenad Cvetkovic blocked a Harakate shot with his hand. The ball would likely have gone into the goal, but the referee did not review the decision on TV. Maderner confidently converted the penalty. The home fans chanted "We want to see Rapid".

Boos from Rapid Fans

The players initially took this to heart. A shot from Kara was still too weak (70th minute). Four minutes later, the Rapid striker completed a beautiful combination over Tilio and Seidl with a remarkable backheel from close range. Kara lacked efficiency for a double (78th minute). This proved costly. After a through pass from Satin, Harakate overcame Rapid's goalkeeper from a lateral position with a delicate chip. At his former club Rapid, GAK coach Ferdinand Feldhofer was able to celebrate a breakthrough. Rapid's fans loudly booed the players.

(APA/Red)

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