Thanks to a goal by Robert Ljubicic (29th), the Hütteldorfer celebrated a 1-0 away win against KRC Genk on Thursday, ending the Europa League group H in third place ahead of the Belgians and now climbing into the Conference League sixteenth-finals around. There it will continue in February 2022, the opponent of the Viennese will be determined on Monday.
Rapid trainer Ferdinand Feldhofer was able to cheer for the first time in the second match of his term of office. The success in Belgium means that three Austrian clubs are wintering internationally – in addition to Rapid, these are Red Bull Salzburg (Champions League round of 16) and LASK (Conference League round of 16). The last time an Austrian trio stayed in the European Cup at the turn of the year was in the 1983/84 season, at that time Rapid, Austria and Sturm Graz succeeded.
Rapid laid the foundation for victory in the first half. The guests started strong, repeatedly pushed Genk on the defensive and also recorded the first chances. Goalie Maarten Vandevoordt had a lot of trouble with shots from Marco Grüll (16th) and Ercan Kara (18th). The only dangerous action by the home side before the break resulted from an unsuccessful tee shot by goalkeeper Paul Gartler, the subsequent shot by Kristian Thorstvedt was blocked by Emanuel Aiwu (29th).
After the subsequent counterattack, Rapid launched a counterattack, Thorsten Schick played for Ljubicic and the midfielder surprised Vandevoordt with a solid shot into the near corner. Rapid stayed on the trigger, Kara, who was knocked out a little later, checked Vandevoordt in the 36th minute. Karas Sturm colleague Taxiarchis Fountas had to pass before the start of the game.
During the break, coach Bernd Storck made a three-fold change at his premiere at the Genk Bank. Among other things, there was the two-meter-tall striker Paul Onuachu, who immediately ensured a good deal of activity in the Rapid penalty area, for example in the 51st minute, when Gartler was on the post when the Nigerian tried. Four minutes later, the Rapid Keeper prevented the equalizer with a foot defense against Thorstvedt.
The Austrian runner-up came under increasing pressure, survived many standard situations as well as a narrow miss by Luca Oyen (79th) or a risky dribble by Gartler against Theo Bongonda (80th). The six-minute stoppage time brought Rapid with a lot of tremors, but unscathed.
Source: Nachrichten
