Now the "endgame" awaits

Klauß plain speaking after the defeat: “I’m extremely annoyed”

Rapid coach Robert Klauß was clearly miffed after the defeat against Omonia Nicosia.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

"We missed a great opportunity, that hurts," said Rapid coach Robert Klauß after the bitter 3-1 defeat at Omonia Nicosia. After the defeat, the Hütteldorfer need a win at home against FC Copenhagen next Thursday in order to reach the round of 16 in the Football Conference League - a final match that the club would have liked to have avoided at the end of the year ...

Rapid are ninth in the table ahead of the final round of the new league phase with ten points from five games. A draw against Copenhagen will not be enough to leap into the top 8 and avoid the first knockout round in the spring. The recent run of five competitive games without a win must end next week. "It's a final game, that's good," said Klauß. It is possible that his team will be able to push their performance limits once again in their 31st game of the season in a full stadium.

It wasn't in Cyprus. "It was a perceived superiority, but we didn't invest enough," criticized Klauß. "Even against opponents we feel superior to, we have to play soccer with more energy." You can tell that some players are tired. "They're missing a few percent." In the league match five days earlier in Salzburg (2:2), his team was just as tired. "We managed to push each other up there. There was a big difference in the way we performed there."

"Dangers not recognized"
 The game south of Nicosia was like a self-destruction. Klauß was not alone in feeling reminded of the second half against Shamrock Rovers, when they had let a victory they thought was certain slip away at the end of November (1:1). "The first two goals we conceded annoyed me extremely," emphasized the German, who also lacked "the passion to defend the goal at all costs". "The 1-2 was a bit symbolic of the fact that we didn't recognize the dangers and didn't invest enough in the feeling of control."

Despite the good starting position, frustration still prevailed before the return journey on Friday. Klauß gave Saturday off, and on Sunday he will begin to work through the situation and prepare for Copenhagen. "We absolutely need the win to go straight through to the round of 16. We could have done it earlier, which is obviously annoying. But we still have a chance to make it - and that's exactly how we'll approach it," promised the head coach.

All-clear for captain Seidl
Louis Schaub took a similar view. "We simply have to go to our limit right from the start - whether with the ball or against the ball. That has to be 100 percent, then we can win the game," said the attacker, who almost put Rapid ahead with a header in the 11th minute. Jonas Auer put in a strong performance offensively, but missed crucial meters before the 1-2. "We just have to regenerate and put everything into it again at home," explained the full-back.

Matthias Seidl

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Matthias Seidl should also be able to play. Rapids' captain was substituted at the break after taking a knock to his knee, but Klauß gave the all-clear. "Matti looked a bit tired, it's nothing serious." Central defender Nenad Cvetkovic is also fit. Klauß justified the Serbian's substitution solely due to a yellow card he had received in the first half.