Wurmbrand puts Rapid on the road to victory at WAC
A brace from youngster Nikolaus Wurmbrand (10th, 41st) secured Rapid three points in Lavanttal. The Hütteldorf team maintained the upper hand on Sunday in the duel of the European Cup starters against Wolfsberger AC with a 2:1 (2:0) victory. With ten points from four Bundesliga games, Green-White is level on points with leader Salzburg in second place in the standings. For WAC, the goal from Dejan Zukic from the penalty spot (70th) was not enough.
The Carinthians are in sixth place with six points. During the week, both teams return to international business. WAC travels to Nicosia with a 2:1 lead for the playoff second leg in the Conference League qualification, while Rapid must overturn a 1:2 deficit at home against Györ.
WAC and Rapid Changed
Both coaches changed their starting eleven in five positions. At WAC, defense chief Dominik Baumgartner was given a break, and the suspended Nicosia equalizer scorer Chibuike Nwaiwu was replaced by Angelo Gattermayer. At Rapid, alongside captain Matthias Seidl, Claudy Mbuyi and Wurmbrand were also allowed to start again. Nenad Cvetkovic was initially rested.
The approximately 6,700 spectators in the Lavanttal Arena were offered quite a bit in the early stages. Former national player Alessandro Schöpf missed a great chance to take the lead from close range in his first game against Rapid (5th). In return, Petter Nosa Dahl initially fumbled the ball, shortly after a goal by the Norwegian was disallowed due to a narrow offside position (6th). After ten minutes, the numerous traveling Rapid fans were able to celebrate for the first time. Wurmbrand converted a cross from Mbuyi from a tight angle.
Wurmbrand Increased
After a strong opening quarter with many high ball recoveries, the Hütteldorf team then pulled back a bit and left the game to WAC. The Carinthians were rarely dangerous, for example with a long-range shot from Zukic (18th). On the other side, Wurmbrand narrowly missed the target with a volley (23rd). Subsequently, the intensity of the match decreased, with much of the play occurring in midfield. Shortly before the break, Wurmbrand secured his first Bundesliga brace. After a pass from Dahl, the 19-year-old scored via the inside post to make it 2:0.
After the break, Rapid's defense - strengthened from the 60th minute by the substitute Cvetkovic - kept WAC away from their own goal for a long time. It was only when Seidl blocked a shot in the penalty area with his hand and Zukic coolly converted the resulting penalty that tension returned to Lavanttal. In the final phase, the Carinthians pressed for the equalizer. Rapid goalkeeper Niklas Hedl secured the three points with a strong save after a header from substitute David Atanga. After three defeats and a draw last season, Rapid was able to celebrate a victory against WAC again.
(APA/Red)
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