Surprising Cup exit

Rapid angry: “This embarrassment is incredibly unnecessary”

Max Hofmann (right) grumbled after Rapid's cup defeat.

(Bild: GEPA)

1:0 in front until the 79th minute - but in the end, favorites Rapid fell 2:1 to Stripfing in the ÖFB Cup. "This embarrassment is incredibly unnecessary," grumbled veteran Max Hofmann.

When referee Harkam blew the final whistle at 20:08 on the Hohe Warte, the sensation was perfect - and inexplicable! Despite making eight changes from the 1-1 draw at GAK, Rapid had clearly been in control for almost 80 minutes against Stripfing and had taken a 1-0 lead thanks to a header from Hofmann (39').

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

However, they failed to close the scoring: Lang missed from 17 meters (47'), Schaub shot over the goal (60'), Bischof (68') and Schaub failed to beat goalkeeper Kretschmer (75'). No drama, especially as Hausjell had also missed Stripfing's only chance up to that point (23rd) from five meters. However, things went from bad to worse in the space of 5:41 minutes: First, debutant Schöller had a blackout in a duel with Sutterlüty and played the ball into the middle of the penalty area with his far post. Pecirep accepted the gift to make it 1:1 (79'). In the 85th minute, Rapid were again confused after a free-kick and Radonjic scored from a completely free position to make it 2:1!

Rapid pressed in the final, but Joker Beljo (free-kick against the crossbar/91st) and Schöller missed chances to make it 2-2. In the end, after two recent appearances in the final, they were knocked out in the round of 16 - and against the penultimate team in the second division! Klauß described it as "extremely bitter. We threw away this chance to win the title ourselves." He did not see the major rotation three days before the league match against Sturm - combined with the complete omission of key players such as Cvetkovic, Raux-Yao, Bolla, Grgic, Sangaré or Burgstaller - as a reason for the failure: "I would do it again in exactly the same way."

Grünwald is jubilant
Max Hofmann was also deeply frustrated by the elimination: "This embarrassment is incredibly unnecessary. We were already too confident." A bitter blow after eleven competitive games in a row without defeat and the first defeat in two months. At Stripfing, Alex Grünwald was beaming about his first success as interim coach: "Everyone knows what a win over Rapid means to me as a Violet. I'm proud of my team."