Draw against Rapid

Sturm: “Bitter outcome” and open flesh wound

Christian Ilzer has his doubts about the draw.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

"Given the course of the game, it was a bitter result, even though Rapid were the better team until the red card." Sturm coach Christian Ilzer mourns a potential victory after the 1-1 draw. 

"We didn't allow many scoring chances, but we didn't have enough grip on the match and didn't have the necessary presence after winning the ball, for example," said Ilzer. And that despite the fact that his team was outnumbered for a long time. In the Bundesliga top match, Mamadou Sangare provided the negative highlight in minute 39. The Rapid player went into a duel with Dimitri Lavalee with an outstretched leg, even injuring the Sturm player and was consequently shown the red card.

Ilzer praises Rapid defender
"He has an open flesh wound, but it shouldn't be too bad," said Ilzer about Lavalee's state of health. "Sangare was too aggressive in his stride. That was probably the mother of all red cards." After that "we were only in the attacking half, Rapid defended superbly," said Ilzer. "They also have two very good central defenders, who are partly responsible for Rapid's success this season. After taking the lead, we can't open up the game any more, we have to defend the goal and Beljo's run better."

Klauß: "Then it was a completely different game"
And what does Rapid coach Robert Klauß say? "We got into the game very well after 10 or 15 minutes, had good control, even in the final third. Then it was a completely different game with the exclusion. We then made the spaces very tight in the second half, played very disciplined and knew how to defend the box well - even with the second balls. The 0:1, where we didn't behave well tactically, was bitter."

Klauß also admits that the red card against Sangare was "justified". "I would have liked to have played with eleven men against Sturm so that we could have been more present in attack. But overall I'm proud of my team, they did a brilliant job."