Rapid has had a false start to the new football Bundesliga year. The Hütteldorf team suffered a 1:3 home defeat against WAC on Saturday, dropping behind Wolfsberg to fourth place and already trailing nine points behind leaders Sturm Graz. Louis Schaub had put the hosts in the lead (38th minute), but the Carinthians turned the game around thanks to "joker" Markus Pink (73rd, 93rd) and former Rapid player Thierno Ballo (85th), securing their fifth consecutive competitive victory.
The match, attended by 17,900 spectators in cold temperatures and icy wind, offered no highlights for a long time. Rapid had more ball possession but could not create any dangerous actions. A missed shot by Mamadou Sangare (35th) was the highest point of emotions for the time being. Practically nothing succeeded in possession play, so a transition moment had to suffice. After a pass from their own half, Dion Beljo won an important duel and set up Schaub, who calmly outmaneuvered two WAC defenders in the penalty area before scoring with a dry finish.
Schaub's 1:0 Was Not Enough for Rapid Vienna
Even in the second half, the teams struggled to get going. Rapid knocked on the door for the first time with a shot from Matthias Seidl that went wide (58th), and two minutes later, WAC missed a sitter for the equalizer. Dejan Zukic appeared alone in front of the Rapid goal, but his chip was touched by goalie Niklas Hedl with his fingertips.
However, Zukic appeared as an assist provider just over ten minutes later. Once again, the Serbian was negligently neglected by the Rapid defense, allowing him to set up for the recently substituted Pink, who completed to make it 1:1. Initially, the goal was not given due to offside, but after VAR consultation, it was counted. For Pink, it was his first league goal since March 2023.
Fifth Consecutive WAC Victory
WAC followed up, again with the help of the Rapid defense. A long clearance from guest keeper Nikolas Polster was enough to create danger. Ballo grabbed the ball, outmaneuvered Bendeguz Bolla with a body turn, and scored between the Hungarian's legs into the far corner. Shortly before the end, Pink had another big moment. The striker benefited from a mistake by Jakob Schöller after an unwise throw-in by Jonas Auer and slotted in to seal the decision.
(APA/Red)
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