Austria Vienna celebrates 3:1 derby victory against Rapid

The Austria celebration over the derby victory was subdued, as no away fans were allowed due to the unpleasant scenes from a year ago. With a composed 3-1 away victory at Rapid, the Violets not only handed their arch-rivals their first defeat of the season in the Football Bundesliga but also moved into the top six championship group ranks for the first time since the first round with their fourth consecutive league win.

For Rapid, Claude Mbuyi's equalizer (48th minute/penalty) was not enough to take anything from the match. Abubakr Barry (49th minute) and Noah Botic (59th minute) sealed the deal with a quick double strike. Lee Tae-seok (24th minute) had put Austria in the lead before the break with a counterattack. A red card for Austria's Philipp Wiesinger after a foul preventing a goal (74th minute) did not affect the outcome.

Austria Vienna celebrated derby victory quietly

"Vienna is violet!" declared Aleksandar Dragovic happily. The defense chief and his colleagues briefly celebrated on the pitch and then quickly retreated to the stadium's catacombs without their own supporters. "We are Austria Vienna and can handle the victory very well and celebrate in the locker room," said Dragovic after only the second derby victory in the last six encounters. "We knew their strengths and weaknesses. We played great counterattacks and could have won by an even larger margin."

"By now, you can recognize our spirit from last season again," said Samuel Sahin-Radlinger. The Austria goalkeeper only had to reach behind him for the temporary penalty equalizer shortly after the break on Sunday. "It was a solid team performance. The way we threw ourselves into everything towards the end to take the three points was incredible and makes me proud."

Helm Wants to "Unleash Potential"

Stephan Helm saw his first away derby victory as Austria's head coach as a reward for a passionate performance. "We have proven that we have a team that functions extremely well collectively." The fact that they regained the lead immediately after conceding the equalizer to 1-1 was seen by the coach as a sign of restored stability in the Violets' game. This also speaks to the character of a team, Helm said. "It is a joy to be able to rely on that."

Helm did not want to draw parallels to the previous season's run. "It can be our greatest strength that we never doubted what we showed on the pitch. Now the points are coming too. But now we will look at it just as critically," promised the coach. "Then it is a strong foundation on which you can build a good season every year."

The new fifth in the league defeated the leader, with four points separating the two rivals after eight rounds. "Wins are always good for the table situation. But I also find it important that in this phase, you don't focus too much on the table, but on the performances," noted Helm. "We have still brought in new players and are currently working on unleashing the potential of this team."

Noah Botic is one of the newcomers. The Australian striker thanked his starting lineup nomination with his first league goal to make it 3-1. "At least as important was that he worked very, very hard," said Helm, praising the 23-year-old as a tenacious player with a strong drive into the penalty area. The man of the match was Abubakr Barry. The midfielder from Gambia was involved in almost all key scenes with a goal, an assist, and a penalty foul, and according to Helm, is increasingly taking on the role of a leader. However, Barry will be absent due to a yellow card suspension in the upcoming home game against Blau-Weiß Linz - the last before the international break. As will the suspended defender Philipp Wiesinger.

(APA/Red)

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