Victory for SK Rapid

LIVE from 5pm: Rapid hosts champions Sturm Graz!

Christian Ilzer's (l.) champions were beaten by SK Rapid.(Bild: GEPA)

Champions Sturm Graz got off to a false start in the Austrian Bundesliga opener. The Styrians were beaten 1-0 by SK Rapid on Sunday. Dion Drena Beljo scored the decisive goal for the Hütteldorfer in the 29th minute.

Rapid started the new Bundesliga season on Sunday with a deserved 1:0 home win over Sturm Graz. Dion Beljo's goal (30') in front of 23,400 spectators also gave the Hütteldorfer their fourth win in their fourth competitive match this season and a successful revenge for the Cup final lost on May 1 against the double winners, who had won all three of their previous encounters with Rapid.

Attractive opening phase
The game got off to a fast start, with both teams looking to get forward quickly and not shying away from intense tackles. The visitors initially had the better chances: Mika Biereth narrowly missed a cross from Dimitri Lavalee (6') and Rapid goalkeeper Niklas Hedl saved an attempt from distance from Lovro Zvonarek (18'). In the 22nd minute, Jonas Auer slipped, Biereth bent the ball past Hedl, but Serge-Philippe Raux-Yao spectacularly straddled William Böving's shot on the empty goal.

(Bild: GEPA)

Rapid were more efficient. Beljo skillfully finished off a beautiful move via Matthias Seidl and Guido Burgstaller to make it 1:0. After that, Sturm were no longer dangerous before the break, but Rapid had nothing more to offer with the exception of a long-range shot from Seidl next to the goal (45.+1).

Dursun fails twice
The second half began with a set-piece for the home side - Seidl had a completely free header, but failed to hit the leatherette properly (47'). Just under a quarter of an hour later, a shot from Bendeguz Bolla was defused by Sturm goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen. In the 64th minute, Furkan Dursun, who came on for Beljo, failed to score from close range against the Dutchman, who was also beaten by Dursun four minutes later.

Scherpen would have been beaten in the 71st minute, but Burgstaller's goal was disallowed due to a hair's breadth offside by the Carinthian. Sturm were lucky again when Isak Jansson's cross from the goal line landed on the top edge of the crossbar (79'). Louis Schaub was already on the pitch for Rapid and Otar Kiteishvili for Graz at this point, but neither could make any significant impact. Schaub almost got an assist seconds before the final whistle. After his assist for Dursun, the striker managed the feat of shooting at a Sturm defender positioned on the line just in front of the orphaned goal.

(Bild: GEPA)

(Bild: GEPA)

2.5 million euro transfer
Nevertheless, the Green-Whites had the game completely under control in the second half, did not concede any more chances worth mentioning and thus delivered a successful dress rehearsal for the first leg of the third round of Europa League qualifying at Trabzonspor on Thursday. Nikolas Sattlberger will not be making the trip to Turkey - the midfielder was undergoing medical tests at KRC Genk on Sunday. The transfer is expected to be officially completed on Monday, with Hütteldorfer set to receive around €2.5 million.

Sturm could even receive over ten million euros for Alexander Prass. The ÖFB international was not in the squad on Sunday and is being linked with a transfer to a club from one of Europe's top leagues.