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SK Rapid against Grazer AK – LIVE from 5pm

He set Rapid on their way to victory with his goal for 1:0: Nenad Cvetković.(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

SK Rapid have secured a place in the Bundesliga champions' group by their own efforts! The team from Hütteldorf deservedly defeated GAK 3:0 (3:0) in Vienna on Sunday at the end of the basic round, thus making the leap into the top 6. With 34 points, coach Robert Klauß' team avoided a catastrophic slide into the bottom half of the league. GAK, on the other hand, remain in the bottom half of the table.

 

Nenad Cvetkovic put the Green-Whites ahead in front in front of 21,700 spectators at the Allianz Stadium (23'), Dion Beljo with a penalty (32') and Isak Jansson (44') decided the game before the break. Rapid can now fight for the championship title from the end of March. The gap to league leaders Sturm Graz and Austria Vienna is six points after the points split.

The hosts, with Jonas Auer and Matthias Seidl in the starting eleven compared to Thursday's European Cup match against Banja Luka, got off to a powerful start. However, Mamadou Sangare's first warning shot missed the target (10'). Graz, whose suspended coach Rene Poms was replaced on the line by co Dino Skvorc, initially took a wait-and-see approach. Daniel Maderner tried his luck with a lob from the halfway line, but Niklas Hedl, standing very far in front of goal, was only just able to clear the ball (11).

Klauß' team sought and found an early decision
Rapid remained the dominant team, but were too imprecise in their play. The lead therefore came from a set piece. After a Seidl corner, Cvetkovic extended the lead with the back of his head. Nikolaus Wurmbrand stole the leather from the GAK defense a little later, but Lukas Graf just managed to block his shot while lying down (28').

Less than 60 seconds later, Maderner fouled Cvetkovic in the penalty area and referee Stefan Ebner awarded a penalty after viewing the video images. Beljo did not miss the opportunity and increased the lead. But that was not all: Jansson first missed the 3:0 in a duel with keeper Florian Wiegele (39'), but the Swede did better after a long ball from Auer and netted unstoppably.

At the break, GAK brought on Laszlo Kleinheisler and Thorsten Schriebl, but Thomas Schiestl missed the chance to bring the Styrians back into the game (47'). Rapid missed the fourth goal through Wurmbrand (62') and substitute Noah Bischof (89'), but played the lead home with aplomb. While the Viennese team secured their second win in their sixth league game of the spring and - much more importantly - the desired qualification for the Champions Group, GAK suffered their fourth defeat in a row.

The result:
SK Rapid - Grazer AK 3:0 (3:0)
Vienna, Allianz Stadium, 21,681 spectators, SR Ebner

Goals: 1:0 (23') Cvetkovic, 2:0 (32') Beljo (penalty), 3:0 (44') Jansson

Yellow cards: Beljo or Jano, Fofana, Tikvic

Rapid: Hedl - Oswald, Cvetkovic (65. Ahoussou), Raux-Yao, Auer - Sangare (83. Borkeeiet), M. Seidl - Schaub, Jansson (65. Radulovic) - Wurmbrand (65. Bischof), Beljo (74. Kara)
GAK: Wiegele - M. Jovicic, Graf, Tikvic - Schiestl, Fofana, Jano (65. Cipot), Satin (46. Schriebl), Rosenberger - Frieser (46. Kleinheisler), Maderner (88. Revelant)