Conference League

Bitter! Rapid concedes 3rd defeat in 3rd game

All in vain for Ercan Kara and Co. ...(Bild: GEPA)

SK Rapid are still not getting going in this year's league phase of the Conference League! The team of Rapid coach Peter Stöger deservedly lost 0:1 (0:1) against Universitatea Craiova from Romania in front of 23,500 spectators in Vienna-Hütteldorf on Thursday evening. Oleksandr Romanchuk scored the winner for the visitors (37'). It was the third defeat in three games for the Green-Whites, who are now bottom of the CoL table.

Rapid continue their European Cup campaign in three weeks' time with a visit to Raków Czestochowa in Poland. The Poles, who are still unbeaten, already have five points after three rounds. First, however, the Viennese travel to WSG Tirol in Innsbruck next Sunday (2.30 pm).

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Card festival in the first half
Stöger made four changes to his starting XI compared to the 2-1 win over Sturm Graz, switching from a back three to a back four. The Rapid coach initially left out the injured Nenad Cvetkovic, Romeo Amane and Furkan Demir as well as Janis Antiste. Instead, Jonas Auer, Lukas Grgic, Tobias Gulliksen and Andrija Radulovic were allowed to start.

The hosts did not get off to a good start. Nikolaus Wurmbrand picked up a yellow card after 50 seconds and Bendeguz Bolla received the same less than three minutes later. Slovenian referee Martin Matosa took a strict line, with which both teams initially struggled. The result: five players cautioned (four of them Rapid players) and a yellow card for Romanian coach Mirel Radoi after just 20 minutes of play. The coach had been repeatedly abusive on the touchline and had verbally attacked Gulliksen, among others (20th).

While the Viennese made too many mistakes, the visitors attacked in a straightforward manner. Alexandru Cicaldau failed to beat goalkeeper Paul Gartler from a turn (5'). Romanchuk did better, scoring with a header. Before that, Carlos Mora had outpaced left-back Auer and crossed perfectly into the penalty area (37'). At the other end, Kara headed just wide (39'). After that, Auer was again second best to Mora, who gave his opponent a gherkin - but striker Steven Nsimba then shot over the goal (41'). Rapid were lucky that Craiova's Assad Al-Hamlawi was offside when the visitors scored a second goal (43')

(Bild: GEPA)

Rapid still owed a lot
Rapid continued to make mistakes in the second half, which led to good opportunities for the Romanians. Gartler was at his post against Nsimba, but Samuel Teles missed the follow-up shot (55'). Stöger reacted after an hour with a triple substitution. The substitute Antiste made an immediate appearance, but failed to beat Universitatea keeper Pavlo Isenko from five meters (63').

The game now gathered pace: Nsimba again failed to get the ball past Gartler (65'). The Rapid goalkeeper could not be beaten six minutes later either, Teles and the newly substituted Lyes Houri and Stefan Baiaram both failing to score (71'). Hütteldorfer, on the other hand, were also guilty of much in attack - Antiste (80'), Seidl (82') and Bolla (84') were too imprecise in the final phase - and deservedly left the pitch as losers.

The result:
SK Rapid - Universitatea Craiova 0:1 (0:1)
Vienna, Allianz Stadium, 23,457 spectators, SR Matosa/SLO

Goal: 0:1 (37') Romanchuk

Yellow-red card: Radoi (Craiova coach/20th)

Yellow cards: Wurmbrand, Seidl, Kara, Gulliksen, Ahoussou and Rus, Teles, Mora respectively.

Rapid: Gartler - Bolla, Ahoussou, Raux-Yao, Auer (61. Demir) - M. Seidl (83. Weixelbraun), L. Grgic (61. Amane) - Wurmbrand, Gulliksen (61. Antiste), Radulovic (46. Schaub) - Kara
Craiova: Isenko - Romanchuk, Rus, Badelj - Mora (80. Baluta), Teles, Mekvabishvili (80. Screciu), Cicaldau (70. Houri), Bancu - Nsimba (91. Basceanu), Al-Hamlawi (70. Baiaram)