Setback in the Title Race

SK Rapid drops points with a 2-2 draw at bottom-of-the-table Hartberg!

A hard-fought, tense match, but no winner in TSV Hartberg’s game against SK Rapid(Bild: GEPA)

Following a 2-2 (0-1) draw in Hartberg, SK Rapid has now gone three games without a win in the Bundesliga championship group! The Viennese, now in fourth place, came back from behind twice on Sunday with goals from Bendeguz Bolla (47') and Petter Nosa Dahl (67'). Despite having more possession and creating more chances, it wasn’t enough for a win. TSV defenders Lukas Spendlhofer (45th) and Luca Pazourek (52nd) put the bottom-ranked team—still winless in the championship group—ahead twice.

Hartberg dropped deep on the heavy pitch to launch quick counterattacks from a solid defense. However, the TSV players rarely ventured into the opponent’s half early on. Instead, the crowd in Eastern Styria witnessed the visitors’ dominance that failed to yield results. After 30 minutes, Rapid had used their immense possession to create several harmless attempts on goal. Hartberg specialist Ercan Kara squandered the only notable chance with a diving header (4th minute).

Three Goals in Eight Minutes
Despite their dominance, Rapid initially struggled in vain to score. At the other end, Marco Hoffmann nearly turned the game on its head but hesitated too long on the finish (45th minute). On the ensuing corner kick, Spendlhofer worked his magic: the defensive leader, returning from a red-card suspension, chipped the ball over Rapid goalkeeper Niklas Hedl into the far top corner. It was only the TSV’s second goal in the current championship group.

Rapid had a quick response after the restart. Matthias Seidl laid the ball off to Bolla, whose powerful shot from the edge of the box was decisively deflected by Konstantin Schopp (47'). But Hartberg also managed to deflect it: Pazourek took a shot from the back post after a corner, and Romeo Amane—and especially the shoulder of Serge-Philippe Raux-Yao—sent the ball in a completely different direction.

Rapid’s “wild card” strikes
Rapid coach Johannes Hoff Thorup brought on Dahl and proved he had a golden touch by bringing in the attacking player. Dahl received a lobbed pass from Seidl in the five-yard box and netted the 2-2 equalizer. The equalizer had been coming. Hartberg coach Manfred Schmid lost his temper on the sideline and was sent to the stands with a red card by referee Julian Weinberger. Schmid will therefore be absent from the coaching zone for TSV in the “return match” in Vienna on Wednesday.

Shortly thereafter, Rapid’s Andreas Weimann was lucky to receive only a yellow card for a sliding tackle on Benjamin Markus. In the pouring rain during the final minutes, the visitors seemed closer to victory. Youba Diarra prevented the late 2-3 goal by throwing himself in front of a Seidl shot (89th minute).

The result:
TSV Hartberg – SK Rapid 2-2 (1-0)
Hartberg, Profertil Arena Hartberg, 4,200 spectators, referee Weinberger

Goals: 1-0 (45+1) Spendlhofer, 1-1 (47) Bolla, 2-1 (52) Pazourek, 2-2 (70) Dahl

Red card: Schmid (Hartberg coach)

Yellow cards: Markus, Hennig and Kara, Weimann

Hartberg: Hülsmann – Schopp, Spendlhofer, Coulibaly – Heil, Wilfinger, Markus, Pazourek (77. Hennig) – Hoffmann (77. Aziz), Fridrikas (64. Diarra), Havel (91. Korherr)
Rapid: Hedl – Schöller (53' Dahl), Cvetkovic, Raux-Yao – Bolla, Amane (85' Grgic), M. Seidl, Ahossou – Weimann, Kara (85' Antiste), Wurmbrand (77' Demir)