Rapid showed no nakedness in the second round of the Cup, celebrated an undisputed 3-0 victory in Amstetten – LASK knocked out Tirol 2-1 at home, thus advancing to the quarter-finals.
The traditional clubs Rapid and LASK, which are ailing in the Bundesliga, did not slip up in the cup and made it to the quarter-finals. Rapid prevailed 3-0 (2-0) at SKU Amstetten on Thursday evening, LASK defeated league rivals WSG Tirol 2-1 (2-0) at home. On Sunday, the winners from Thursday will face each other in the championship in Vienna.
Rapid was already 2-0 up after 25 minutes. Ercan Kara (13th) and after a nice action over several stations – but also after an unpunished foul by Rapidler – Taxiarchis Fountas (26th) were the goalscorers in the Ertl Glas Stadium. Amstetten was in the game at all times and also found opportunities. Paul Gartler in the Rapid goal proved to be a sure source of support.
In the Viennese team, Emanuel Aiwu represented Leo Greiml, who was incapacitated with a cruciate ligament, in the central defense. Jonas Auer came back to the left, Thorsten Schick as the right defender. The captain’s bow was carried by Srdjan Grahovac, who unpacked his talent as a free-kick taker in the 55th minute and curled the ball under the crossbar to make it 3-0. After that, Rapid managed the result with success. “The performance was okay, I would say. We scored the goals at good times and were even able to take out a few players,” said coach Dietmar Kühbauer after the game.
Linz guided tour through Horvath’s dream gate
In Pasching, Sascha Horvath hammered the ball into the Kreuzeck from just inside the penalty area after a major mistake by WSG defender Maxime Awoudja in the 31st minute. Peter Michorl increased a little later from a similar position with his strong left foot to 2-0. The weakened, but courageous Linz players could have been higher in the lead after the first half.
Before the game, another LASK central defender, Dario Maresic, was sick. The back four of the black and whites was indisposed for the first time in the 49th minute, when Giacomo Vrioni was up and away and completed the 1: 2 goal. Tyrol coach Thomas Silberberger had swapped four new players at the start. Despite the stronger guests, the LASK retained control, even if there were no compelling chances at the front.
Gruber: Another injury on comeback
In the final phase, Andreas Gruber made his comeback in the Raiffeisen Arena after several months in which he had been condemned to watch because of a torn cruciate ligament. In stoppage time he was replaced again because of a shoulder injury. “That doesn’t make the situation any easier,” said coach Andreas Wieland, who saw his team as having a “very appealing first half.” The point of criticism is the second half, where we can definitely work even more courageously against the ball.
In addition to last year’s finalist LASK and Rapid, defending champions Salzburg, Ried, Wolfsberg, Austria Klagenfurt and the second division FAC are in the ÖFB Cup quarter-finals. The match between Blau Weiß Linz and TSV Hartberg, which was canceled on Wednesday due to a medical emergency with Linz player Raphael Dwamena, will be played again on Tuesday (6 p.m.).
