Green-white victory

LIVE from 5pm: Rapid host SCR Altach!

(Bild: GEPA)

SK Rapid scored an important victory against SCR Altach on Saturday. The Hütteldorfer defeated the guests from the Ländle 5:0.

SK Rapid secured their first competitive match win in 2025 at the fourth attempt. Coach Robert Klauß' side defeated SCR Altach 5:0 (1:0) in Vienna on Saturday, ending a run of six league matches without a win. With 31 points, the fifth-placed Grün-Weißen overtook Salzburg in the table for the time being and thus took a big step towards the championship play-off. Altacher remain last with 14 points after 20 rounds.

Nenad Cvetkovic put Hütteldorfer ahead in front of almost 17,000 fans at the Allianz Stadium (8th). After the break, Isak Jansson scored a brace (56', 68'), Dion Beljo scored from the penalty spot (78') and Andrija Radulovic (95') secured their team the desired three points and their highest league win of the season. Both teams finished the game with ten players after Cvetkovic (62) and Paul-Friedrich Koller (66) were sent off.

Tribute for Burgstaller in the stadium
Before the match, Guido Burgstaller was honored in the stadium as the 2024 Rapid Player of the Year. The striker had suffered serious head injuries in an attack in mid-December. It is uncertain if and when the 35-year-old, who wants to end his career in the summer, will be able to play for Rapid again. The recently suspended Mamadou Sangare and Beljo as well as keeper Niklas Hedl returned to the starting eleven for the hosts. For Altach, coach Fabio Ingolitsch had goalkeeper Dejan Stojanovic (lumbago) available again, while midfield engine Mike Bähre, who was suspended, was replaced by Dijon Kameri.

Rapid immediately set the tone, although the first noteworthy action almost backfired. Sangare pushed Benedikt Zech over and got away with a yellow card (2'). After that, the Green-Whites came storming forward: Louis Schaub initially missed the lead (6'), but this came from a rehearsed free-kick variation. Seidl found Cvetkovic, who scored the 1:0 with a long-range shot. The ball was unfortunately deflected by Florian Dietz from Altach.

The Klauß team initially kept the pressure on, but Cvetkovic (18) and Schaub (29) both failed to beat Stojanovic with headers. After half an hour, the visitors got into the game and created two chances through Vesel Demaku. The 25-year-old first tested Hedl with an unmarked shot (32') and then shot over the goal shortly afterwards (34').

Four goals and two dismissals after the break
Rapid came out of the break with fresh impetus, Schaub had the 2:0 on his feet but missed (53'). Jansson did better, curling a shot into the far corner from the edge of the box. The hosts weakened themselves shortly afterwards when Cvetkovic fouled Marlon Mustapha as the last man and was initially shown a yellow card by referee Jakob Semler. After VAR intervention and viewing the video footage, the referee decided on red - a harsh decision (62').

However, the visitors' superior numbers only lasted four minutes. Koller was shown two yellow cards within two minutes and was also sent off. The resulting free-kick landed with Jansson, who netted for the second time. Ten minutes later, the Swede was fouled by Demaku in the penalty area. Beljo initially failed to beat Stojanovic from the spot, but the Croatian had no problems with the rebound. Andrija Radulovic, who came on as a substitute, added the fifth goal in stoppage time after Börkeeiet's crossbar shot.

Isak Jansson scored twice.

(Bild: GEPA)

Rapid thus recorded their seventh win in a row against the Rheindörfler, the seventh time they have won without reply. They now continue their Conference League campaign next Thursday in Banja Luka (21:00). In the remaining two Bundesliga rounds before the points split, the opponents are Hartberg (9.3.) and GAK (16.3.). Altach host Salzburg in a week's time before a visit to Klagenfurt.