After a string of errors from the guests, the Ried home team took the lead early in the game in the second minute through Ante Bajic, who hit the far corner. Coach Maximilian Senft’s team missed a great chance to make it 2-0 (32nd) through Kingstone Mutandwa. Rapid was only really dangerous thanks to a shot from Marco Tilio (44th).
After the break, Nikki Havenaar headed the score higher with the help of goalie Niklas Hedl, whose hands slipped into the goal (61′). Havenaar also scored the final goal (84th). Rapid still has to wait for its first cup title since 1995. Ried, on the other hand, is in the semi-finals like local rivals LASK and thus once again retained the chance of their third triumph after 1998 and 2011.
False start for Rapid under new coach
The restart of SK Rapid Wien under coach Johannes Hoff Thorup failed. In the Dane’s competitive debut, Rapid lost significantly in the quarter-finals of the ÖFB Cup at SV Ried.
The quarter-finals will conclude with two games on Sunday, defending champions RZ Pellets WAC will host Red Bull Salzburg, and champions Puntigamer Sturm Graz will be visiting his former club SCR Altach with new coach Fabio Ingolitsch. Both games can be seen live on ORF ON from 5:30 p.m. and then on ORF1 from 5:50 p.m.
Capital false start for coach Thorup
The game in front of 6,920 fans started very badly for the Viennese. After a bad pass from Romeo Amane, Bajic got to the ball on the right wing, easily let Dominik Weixelbraun, who had been converted into left-back, get out and beat goalie Niklas Hedl after 110 seconds with a low shot into the corner.
Rapid seemed unsettled and the short passing game pushed by neo-coach Thorup bore no fruit. Ried attacked aggressively and stood securely on defense; the Innviertel team only allowed one dangerous situation before the break. After a corner, a shot from Marco Tilio flew relatively close to the goal (44th).
Kouadio Ahoussou and Nikolas Wurmbrand came into the game at the break, and the latter in particular brought some momentum. The Rapid team left a more organized impression and came close to equalizing, but Ried keeper Andreas Leitner defused a header from Ercan Kara and a shot from Matthias Seidl.
Hedl makes a mistake with Havenaar’s double pack
In the 61st minute there was a scene that could give Rapid another goalkeeper discussion: After a free kick cross from Yusuf Maart, Havenaar brought an actually harmless header towards the goal, the ball bounced unusually low on the sandy ground in the five-yard box and rolled into the goal because Hedl misjudged.
Hedl’s error caused 0:2 (61.)
Nikki Havenaar’s goal gave Ried a 2-0 lead. The goal was aided by a mistake by Rapid goalkeeper Hedl.
After that, Rapid was left with helpless ball-pushing and no real chance. But Ried followed up: Hedl fended off a header from Havenaar onto the crossbar, and the defender headed home from close range. In the 93rd minute, Hedl saved his team from 4-0 with a foot save against Evan Eghosa. At the beginning of the year, there is once again a crisis mood in Green and White.
Voices about the game:
Maximilian Senft (Ried coach): “The team surprised me in the clarity of the result, but not in the performance. We continued our preparation where we left off, with extreme commitment to prepare for the opponent. It was a really memorable evening. We were the more dangerous team not only from set pieces, but also with the ball.”
Nikki Havenaar (Ried double goalscorer): “It’s wonderful when you celebrate a win right after the winter break. Rapid has a new coach, they’re still in the discovery phase. That’s why we didn’t give Rapid any time from the start and got our identity on the pitch.”
Johannes Thorup (Rapid coach): “There are many reasons for the defeat. The start with the early goal was of course bad. It was a little better in the second half, but after the 0-2 it was over. We weren’t good on the ball and allowed too many set pieces, Ried is strong there. We didn’t find our game. We can be much better, but it takes time. Everyone saw that it was a mistake by Hedl with the second goal, but mistakes can happen to anyone. We have to improve a lot.”
Matthias Seidl (Rapid captain): “Of course it wasn’t an ideal start with the goal conceded. We made too many simple mistakes in the first half. The way we presented ourselves today is not what we want. We had few chances and conceded many. It’s never easy with a new coach, he has a little something different in mind. We proved in the test matches that we’re capable of it, but today it was nothing.”
ÖFB Cup, quarter-finals
Saturday:
Ried – Rapid 3:0 (1:0)
Ried, BWT Upper Austrian Arena, 6,920, SR Harkam
Mass:
1:0 Bajic (2.)
2:0 Havenaar (61.)
3:0 Havenaar (84.)Ried: Leitner – Havenaar, Sollbauer, Steurer – Bajlicz (89./Rasner), Maart, Rossdorfer, Mayer (89./Pomer) – Bajic (77./Boguo), Van Wyk (62./Eghosa) – Mutandwa (62./Kiedl)
Rapid: Local, Bolse, Cvetkovic, Raux-Yao, Weixelbraun (46./Ashusou)
Yellow card: Ndzie
