A 1-0 victory is enough for the Viennese to advance. With every win from 2: 1 with one goal difference, the Norwegians who remained victorious 3: 1 against Dundalk and are three points ahead would have the better end for themselves. “We already knew that next week would be the decisive game. We now know what is enough for us and we will try everything to reach the sixteenth-finals, ”said winger Thorsten Schick.
Coach Dietmar Kühbauer also hopes to be represented in the European Cup in 2021: “We want to win this game and overwinter in the Europa League.” The Rapid coach wanted to quickly tick off the game against Arsenal. “I don’t think we’ll bury our heads in the sand now,” assured Kühbauer.
Rapid against Arsenal without a chance
Rapid had no chance at 1: 4 against Arsenal on Thursday. Nevertheless, the Hütteldorfer still have a chance of promotion.
“Championship and Molde more important”
The Burgenland had changed his starting eleven in seven positions compared to the 1-1 draw in the derby on Sunday. Srdjan Grahovac and Filip Stojkovic were spared to prevent a yellow card suspension in the duel with Molde. The Rapid coach revealed that after the game. Other forces were battered and were therefore given a break.
“Championship and Molde are the more important games, that’s why the changes came about,” said Kühbauer. For example, striker Deni Alar made his first competitive start this season and once again guarded Richard Strebinger’s goal.
“Far too little trusted”
The rapid goalie did not look good when Alexandre Lacazette (10th) scored his first goal from almost 30 meters, but was then a strong support. After conceding further goals from Pablo Mari (18th) and Eddie Nketiah (44th), it was 3-0 at the break – probably also a consequence of the strong rotation. “We didn’t make it onto the pitch in the first half, weren’t close enough to the man and didn’t think we could do enough,” said Kühbauer.
Of course, the defensive routineer Mario Sonnleitner, who had moved into the team, also noticed this. “We tried to take some of the pressure off, but we couldn’t do it at all. We also tried to disturb them, but were always one step too late, ”explained the Styrian. As so often this season, the 0: 2 came after a set piece, this time after a corner.
“It’s just that this really haunts us. It is annoying that we are not defending the dormant balls actively enough, ”said Kühbauer. Equally annoying was Mateo Barac’s bad pass, which initiated Emile Smith Rowe’s last goal (66th). “We just have to defend a lot better,” said Rapids coach.
Looking ahead
In contrast to the hard-fought 2-1 home defeat, this time winning points was clearly out of reach. “You could see from the first minute that they are a top team,” said Schick. Midfielder Marcel Ritzmaier underscored this: “They have a lot of quality, even though they didn’t play with the single team.” That is another reason why Kühbauer had written off the game in advance. “Even with the best cast it would have been very difficult,” emphasized the 49-year-old.
Arsenal have won all five group games. “Molde lost, Dundalk too. We have now joined the list. You need an extraordinary performance against Arsenal, and we didn’t do that, ”said the Rapid trainer. The away game in Hartberg is waiting in front of Molde, where you want to score again after three games without a win. “Of course we are disappointed, but we have to check off the game and look ahead,” demanded Sonnleitner.
