Only 1-1 at Altach

LIVE: Weimann scores! SK Rapid leads in Altach

Johannes Hoff Thorup and his men will have to continue to sweat it out.(Bild: GEPA)

For a long time, it looked as though SK Rapid had secured their ticket to the championship group, but in the end, the Hütteldorf team conceded a 1-1 draw in Altach and must continue to worry about remaining in the top six of the Austrian Bundesliga.

Rapid has not yet secured its place in the championship group of the Austrian Bundesliga ahead of the last round of the regular season. The Viennese could not manage more than a 1-1 draw at SCR Altach, but at least held on to sixth place with a one-point lead over the seventh-placed Vorarlbergers. After Rapid's first goal by 34-year-old winter signing Andreas Weimann, Yann Massombo (86') scored a late equalizer.

SK Rapid was the visiting team in Altach.(Bild: APA/DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK)

Rapid (30) are also being pursued by eighth-placed SV Ried and ninth-placed WSG Tirol (both 28). The Viennese will host league leaders Salzburg on Sunday (5 p.m.), Altach will travel to Sturm Graz, Ried will play at home against Wiener Austria, and the Tyroleans will host GAK. Rapid finished the game with ten men after Jakob Schöller was sent off (90'). The hundreds of Rapid fans who had traveled with the team had largely boycotted the atmosphere due to the team's recent lackluster performances.

Goal scorers Seidl and Nunoo in the starting lineup
Rapid coach Johannes Hoff Thorup made two changes compared to the 2-0 home win against WAC. Goal scorers Matthias Seidl and Daniel Nunoo were given a chance to prove themselves from the start, Lukas Grgic sat on the bench, and striker Ercan Kara was suspended and unable to play. Altach coach Ognjen Zaric sent out the same starting eleven that had recently secured a 2-1 home win against Wiener Austria.

  After a ceremonial kick-off by snowboard cross Olympic champion Alessandro Hämmerle, both teams were primarily focused on not taking any big risks, with the visitors posing their first threat with a header from Weimann (14'). Shortly afterwards, referee Christian-Petru Ciochirca watched a tussle between goalkeeper Dejan Stojanovic and Nikolaus Wurmbrand on the line, but stuck to his decision not to award Altach a penalty.

  Otherwise, the Viennese were once again harmless, with the Vorarlbergers closer to taking the lead. A header from Srdjan Hrstic was too central (24'), while long-range shots from former Rapid player Patrick Greil missed the target (24', 45'). Immediately after the restart, a positioning error by former Rapid player Moritz Oswald led to Rapid taking the lead. Nunoo was initially denied by Stojanovic, but then passed from the baseline to the center, where Weimann finished from close range. Benedikt Zech, as the last player to touch the ball, could also have been credited with the clearance attempt, but the goal was awarded to the former England international.

Massombo redeemed Altacher
Altach then had to step up their offensive efforts, but for a long time there were no clear chances and Rapid had more space on the other side. Bendeguz Bolla missed the best chance to make it 2-0 when the Hungarian failed to hit the target (80'). That came back to haunt them. Substitute Sandro Ingolitsch crossed the ball to Massombo, who had been neglected by the Rapid defense in the middle, and he gave Niklas Hedl no chance with a header.

Yann Massombo made it 1-1.(Bild: GEPA)

Then Schöller was sent off just outside the penalty area for a foul on Precious Benjamin, which made things even more nerve-wracking for the Viennese. Hedl saved the point with a volley from Ingolitsch (94'). But it wasn't to be a second win in a row. It was small consolation that Rapid remained unbeaten in their ninth consecutive direct duel with Altach. As in the 0-0 first leg, the points were shared. This meant that the Vorarlbergers also survived their fourth league game under Zaric without defeat.