“I think everything will be decided on the last day of the game”

SV Guntamatic Ried is still waiting for a win in the Bundesliga qualifying group. After two defeats at the start, the bottom of the table recently got three draws. Even though the Lustenau goal to equalize 4:4 last week was a punch in the stomach for Rieder, there is a clear upward trend.

Confidence has returned, the fans acknowledged the fighting top performances with a lot of cheering and encouragement. Today (5 p.m.) there is a second leg in Lustenau. “I’m 100 percent sure that if we continue to perform like this as a team, it won’t be long before we have the long-awaited victory”, says goalkeeper Samuel Sahin-Radlinger. The moments after the missed home win against Vorarlberg would have changed “like the worst defeat” felt, but after the analysis and the good week of training you go “with a very good feeling” into this game, says the Rieder goalkeeper.

When asked how he was dealing with the great pressure in the relegation battle, the 30-year-old from Rieder replied: “There is hardly a team in this qualification group that is not under pressure. As an experienced player, I try to radiate calm and to help the young players who are experiencing such a situation for the first time. But as a professional athlete you have to be able to deal with such pressure. We’ll get through this together as a team.” Sahin-Radlinger has no doubts about staying up: “We can do it, I’ve been convinced of that all season, even if it’s going to be very difficult. I’m convinced that the decision will only come in a real ‘photo finish’ on the last lap.” With his contract extension until 2026 he wanted to set an example and signal. “We have to stand together, fans, club and team. Together, we will do it.”

Strebinger as a model professional

When Sahin-Radlinger injured his meniscus at the end of January, Rieder signed Richard Strebinger until the end of the season. The former Rapid goalkeeper and one-time national player has not yet had a chance. The 30-year-old has earned an excellent reputation in the team despite the difficult situation for him. Strebinger gives his all in every training session and motivates his teammates. “He is an absolute model professional”, it says from the supervisory staff. Sahin-Radlinger also only has words of praise for Strebinger: “He would have imagined it differently in Ried, but the way he behaves in every training session and how we goalkeepers push each other is outstanding.”