In the first leg of the 2nd qualifying round against Lechia Gdansk on Thursday, Hütteldorfer could not get more than 0-0, which means that the Viennese need an improvement in their performance in the second leg with the Polish first division soccer team. Should coach Ferdinand Feldhofer’s team succeed next Thursday (7:45 p.m.), the winner from Aris Limassol (Cyprus) will face Neftci Baku (Azerbaijan) as the second of three qualifying hurdles. The Green-Whites continue on Sunday (5 p.m.) with the Bundesliga opener against SV Ried.
Against the Polish league fourth-placed last season, Feldhofer made several changes to his starting XI compared to the arduous 1-0 in the first ÖFB Cup round at the regional league club in Treibach. Newcomer Patrick Greil had to sit out with adductor problems, the 25-year-old “can’t train fully at the moment and for the next few days,” said the club. Ante Bajic was also absent due to a positive corona test at the beginning of the week, the offensive player is in isolation at home without any symptoms.
However, there was also good news for Feldhofer: The Serbian national player Aleksa Pejic, who switched from the Belarusian club Shakhtar Soligorsk to the Green-Whites in the summer, received the right to play in good time before the duel against Gdansk. Midfield clearer Pejic was allowed to start for the first time this season, as were the two full-backs Martin Moormann and Martin Koscelnik as well as Moritz Oswald and Bernhard Zimmermann.
At temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius, a disorganized lot developed. Cheered on by 12,700 loud spectators in the stadium, the Rapidlers playfully took command in a 4-2-3-1 with returnee Guido Burgstaller in the lead, but the Feldhofer team lacked the last precision in the passing game. That’s another reason why chances were scarce in the first half, Gdansk goalie Dusan Kuciak only had to stand out with a nice long-range shot by Marco Grüll (14th).
The guests from Poland initially had the greatest chance of taking the lead, with former Hartberg and St. Pölten pro David Stec delivering a solid game at right-back. After an attack down the left flank, Flavio Paixao headed in from close range, which Rapid goalie Niklas Hedl reflexively parried (25′). The team of German-Poland Tomasz Kaczmarek also resorted to quick counterattacks, which were rarely dangerous.
Immediately after the restart, a header from Gdansk kicker Kristers Tobers landed in a high arc on the crossbar after a corner kick. Shortly thereafter, Rapidler called for a penalty in two contentious situations in the penalty area, but the whistle of referee Elchin Masiyev from Azerbaijan remained silent. The fifth in the Bundesliga continued to determine the game and pressed on the lead.
In the 68th minute, Burgstaller missed the great opportunity to make it 1-0. After a good cross from joker Nikolas Sattlberger, a shot by Nicolas Kühn was initially blocked, but Burgstaller didn’t put the rebound on target from a good position. A few minutes later, Kühn was unable to capitalize on an unsuccessful excursion by Gdansk goalkeeper Kuciak, as the winger needed too long when he was completely free.
Source: Nachrichten
