On Thursday Andreas Weimann was presented as a new addition to SK Rapid. Two days later he made his starting eleven debut for Hütteldorfer in the Bundesliga home game against TSV Hartberg.
In the 1-1 draw against the East Styrian team (match report >>>), the 34-year-old won 100 percent of his ground duels (3/3), had a pass rate of 93 percent (14/15) – and found two good chances to score.
Both times the offensive player was denied by Hartberg keeper Tom Hülsmann, shortly before the break with a header (39th) and after the restart with a left-footed shot (48th). “The goalie didn’t save either of them badly,” Weimann told “Sky” after the game.
Hectic last days
The long-time England legionnaire left the field after 72 minutes to applause from the fans and made way for Ercan Kara. It was a promising debut for the veteran, but it came as a bit of a surprise in this form.
“I found out three hours before the game that I was playing from the start,” revealed Weimann. Yesterday, Friday, he trained with the team for the first time. “I didn’t even know all the names before the game, if I’m honest. For the first game, I don’t think it was that bad.”
The return to Rapid was completed at short notice. “It was all a bit hectic,” said Weimann, referring to the last few days.
At the same time, he was happy about his debut. “When I was a child, my family and I were Rapid fans. When you play in the Rapid youth team, the dream is to also play for the first team. Although I didn’t think that I would be playing for Rapid in 2007 and not making my debut until 2026,” he smiled.
“I know what I can do”
Weimann is now looking forward to his first full week of training with the team and is looking ahead to the last four games of the regular season. Rapid would currently qualify for the championship group in sixth place, but the race for the finish line is tight.
But Weimann doesn’t put himself under any pressure to deliver. “I know what I can do. I’ve been playing professional football for 15 years. I know I can score goals.”
Next week, the 26-time ÖFB national player will play his first Vienna derby. “I’m looking forward to it now. We’ll have a good week of training, then go there and hopefully win.”
