Rapid Vienna after 3:0 Victory against LASK in the European Cup

Rapid Wien won the second leg of the play-off final against LASK on Sunday with 3:0 (1:0), thus compensating for the 1:3 defeat from the first match on Thursday. The match-winner was "Joker" Ercan Kara with a header in the 95th minute. Previously, Guido Burgstaller (31st) in his farewell match and captain Matthias Seidl (81st/penalty) scored in front of 18,125 spectators at the Allianz Stadium.

Rapid Wien in 2nd Qualifying Round of the Conference League after 3:0 Victory Against LASK

The celebration in front of the Block West was extensive, as a nationally disappointing season could at least end on a conciliatory note. This allows Peter Stöger, who will be presented on Monday as the successor to interim coach Stefan Kulovits, to coach his new team in European Cup matches from the 2nd qualifying round of the Conference League (first leg on July 24) next season. At Linz, the succession of interim coach Maximilian Ritscher is not yet officially clarified, and he experienced a bitter end to the season.

Rapid Wien and LASK Almost Unchanged

Both coaches made only one change compared to the first leg. At Rapid, Lukas Grgic replaced Louis Schaub in the team, while at Linz, Ivan Ljubic was in the starting lineup, and Sascha Horvath was not in the squad. The Viennese were forced to push the offense due to the two-goal deficit and repeatedly posed a goal threat. A cross from Burgstaller found no taker in the middle (20th), and a volley from Seidl was cleared by Andres Andrade with a header in dire need before the line (24th). Thus, it took a gift from Linz for Rapid to take the lead. Hrvoje Smolcic played a free kick quickly, but directly to Burgstaller, who didn't hesitate and scored into the corner. Tobias Lawal had no chance to save.

It was the start of very heated minutes, during which players repeatedly lay on the ground after duels, and there was also a lot of criticism on the benches, resulting in several yellow cards. There was no trace of the initial great heat, as an approaching thunderstorm at least provided a cooling effect in terms of temperature. Shortly before the halftime whistle, the hosts would have deserved the 2:0 with a remarkable one-two combination between Seidl and Burgstaller, but the former couldn't finish properly, causing the ball to narrowly miss (43rd).

Rapid Wien in European Cup Thanks to Kara's Last-Minute Goal

As a result, Rapid still needed a goal for a possible extension, but LASK did not just sit back in the second half and tried to bring about the final decision themselves. It could have happened in the 65th minute, but George Bello failed after a solo against Niklas Hedl, who managed to deflect the ball onto the post. The follow-up shot from the tightest angle by former Rapid player Christoph Lang did not hit the target. A volley from Ismaila Coulibaly went over (68th).

Rapid became dangerous again three minutes later, as the net rippled after a shot from Seidl, but the ball had only landed in the side netting. The second goal only came after an intervention by the Video Assistant Referee. He had seen a foul by Smolcic on Andrija Radulovic, who had been substituted in the 20th minute for the injured Nikolaus Wurmbrand, in the penalty area, which was confirmed by TV images. Referee Christopher Jäger pointed to the spot. Lawal guessed the corner on Seidl's not ideal shot but couldn't decisively save the ball. The supposed 1:2 by Samuel Adeniran was rightly not given due to an offside position (86th). The substitution of Kara in the finish paid off. First, he shot over, then he headed his team to happiness after an ideal cross from Burgstaller.

(APA/Red)

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