Complications for Rapid! Four days before the rematch, the Rapid lost to the underdog in the opening game of the season

The players of Sparta Prague and Rapid Vienna played their opening game of the league competitions before the rematch in Prague. Both teams faced rather mediocre opponents in their respective competitions on home soil. While Sparta stood up to the challenge, Rapid, with a full squad, lost to Hartberg0:2.

Two hours before kick-off at Letná, Rapid Vienna also started their league campaign. Sparta’s opponent in the second round of the Champions League plays second fiddle in the Austrian Bundesliga and this year the goal is to minimize the performance gap between Rapid and the defending champions from Salzburg as much as possible.

However, the team from the Austrian capital didn’t make a good step towards this goal, as they didn’t make a single appearance in a very similar line-up to the one we saw against the team from Leiden, losing 0:2 at home to the 7th team from last season.

Compared to Tuesday’s game, the line-up was missing right winger Arase, who was replaced by Schick. Midfielder Ljublicic was replaced by Grahovac due to a red card.

The outsider was the more active team from the start. In the third minute, young Philipp Sturm scored with a header, but it lacked punch. Another Hartberg player then had a great chance, but he shot over the bar in a one-on-one situation.

The first goal of the match was scored in the 41st minute by Dario Tadic, to whom the ball bounced after a mistake in the Rapid’s midfield and he finished with an uncompromising shot to the near post. The same player then scored from a penalty in the 67th minute and it was all over.

Rapid Vienna therefore did not emerge victorious ahead of the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. What is even more alarming is the fact that they created only four shots on the opponent’s goal during the whole match.

Sky Sport Austria, Livesport