Rapid Vienna Must Fight for Championship Group Ticket After Defeat in Hartberg

Rapid must worry about participating in the championship group of the football Bundesliga. The team from Hütteldorf lost 1:2 at Hartberg on Sunday and is now only one point ahead of seventh-placed Blau-Weiß Linz before the last round of the regular season. Hartberg no longer has a chance for the top six, but celebrated their first league victory this year thanks to goals from Elias Havel (49th minute) and Muharem Huskovic (74th minute). Isak Jansson's goal (85th minute) was not enough for Rapid.

Match Started Later Due to Fan Riots

The match was overshadowed by serious riots before kickoff. Apparently, out of dissatisfaction with the procedures at the entrance controls, fans of the Hütteldorf team attacked law enforcement officers with various projectiles. The holding of the match was on the brink. Eventually, the authorities decided to proceed with the game with about a 45-minute delay.

Before that, during the riots, numerous fans stood for a long time on the track between the guest stand and the field. Hartberg President Brigitte Annerl was particularly committed to bringing the situation under control - she, like Rapid Managing Director Steffen Hofmann, sought dialogue with the fans and was ultimately successful. "They assured me that there will be no more incidents," the club president explained after the discussion with various supporters on Sky.

Many Mistakes and Few Chances in the First Half

Indeed, there were no further incidents during the match, but the events on the pitch before the break also did not provide any reason for overflowing emotions. The game was characterized by many mistakes and few scoring chances. The Rapid players, with Isak Jansson in the starting lineup after recovering from a shoulder injury, only made themselves noticeable three days after the 1:1 draw in the Conference League round of 16 first leg at Borac with long-range shots from Benjamin Böckle (18th minute) and Mamadou Sangare (37th minute). For Hartberg, Huskovic hit the side netting (41st minute).

The 1:0 followed soon after the break. Hedl let a low shot from just outside the penalty area by Donis Avdijaj bounce forward, Havel reacted the fastest and overcame the Rapid goalkeeper with a chip. Philippe Raux-Yao's rescue attempt was unsuccessful. After that, Rapid struggled for a long time with ineffective means to at least secure a point. Hartberg presented themselves more efficiently - after an optimal pass from Avdijaj, Huskovic demonstrated his goal-scoring qualities from close range.

It was only towards the end that Rapid came alive. Hartberg forgot about Jansson, who finished coolly under the crossbar from close range. Shortly after, substitute Ercan Kara celebrated the supposed 2:2, but the striker was just offside with his header, as the video assistant referee determined to the annoyance of coach Robert Klauß.

Hütteldorfers Facing Decisive Matches

Rapid has now lost four of the five league matches this year, with only one win in the last eight rounds. Now, decisive matches await the Viennese: On Thursday, they face Borac for the Conference League quarterfinals, and the following Sunday, they play at home against GAK for the Bundesliga championship group.

(APA/Red)

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