A lackluster performance by SCR

LIVE: SV Ried faces SK Rapid

At halftime of the European Cup playoff, Ried leads Rapid...(Bild: GEPA)

SV Ried can now hope for a spot in international competition! On Friday, the Innviertel side celebrated a 2-1 home victory over Rapid in the first leg of the Austrian Bundesliga’s European Cup playoff final. Nikki Havenaar (14th) and Joris Boguo (77th) sent the Ried fans into a frenzy, while Romeo Amane (75th) scored for the once again disappointing Hütteldorf side. The second leg takes place on Monday in Vienna, with the winner advancing to the second qualifying round of the Conference League this summer.

Rapid coach Johannes Hoff Thorup was without Nenad Cvetkovic, Jannes Horn, Lukas Grgic, Bendeguz Bolla, and Yusuf Demir, among others, yet his team remained dangerous in the opening stages. Petter Nosa Dahl curled the ball just wide (5th) and, running alone toward the goal, was denied by Ried goalkeeper Andreas Leitner (7th), who also stopped a shot from Nikolaus Wurmbrand (10th).

But then Ried came to life in front of 4,638 spectators. A shot by Ante Bajic, deflected by Kouadio Ahoussou, hit the crossbar (11th minute), before the Upper Austrians struck from a set piece. After a quickly taken corner, Yussef Nasrawe crossed into the middle, and Havenaar headed the ball into the far corner.

Rapid struggled to create chances for a long time
 Rapid struggled to create chancesafterward; it wasn’t until the end of the first half that the visitors made their presence felt in the opponent’s penalty area again, when Romeo Amane missed the far corner by a wide margin (44th minute). The second half began with an attempt by Yusuf Maart that was saved by Rapid goalkeeper Niklas Hedl (51st minute). The Hütteldorf side fought hard to avoid defeat but initially failed to create any truly compelling chances—until Dahl outmaneuvered the Ried defense with a spectacular move, leaving Amane with only to tap the ball in.

Two minutes later, the green-and-whites’ joy was already over. After a long throw-in, Boguo sent the ball toward the goal with a harmless shot. Serge-Philippe Raux-Yao tried to clear it but deflected the ball, making it unstoppable for Hedl. The league credited the goal to Boguo, at least for the time being. The final minutes were marked by Rapid’s uninspired passing, and Ried’s victory in coach Maximilian Senft’s home farewell was never in danger.

The result:
SV Ried – SK Rapid 2:1 (1:0)
Ried, BWT Upper Austrian Arena, 4,683 spectators, Referee Altmann

Goals: 1-0 (14') Havenaar, 1-1 (75') Amane, 2-1 (77') Boguo

Yellow cards: Bajlicz and F. Demir

Ried: Leitner – Pomer, Havenaar, Sollbauer (48. Rossdorfer/72. Rasner), Steurer – Bajic, Maart, Nasrawe, Bajlicz – Mutandwa, Boguo (83. Aisowieren)
Rapid: Hedl – Schöller, Raux-Yao, Ahoussou (85. Schaub) – Wurmbrand (71. Börkeeiet), Weimann (71. Tilio), Amane, Auer (71. F. Demir) – M. Seidl, Kara, Dahl

The second leg is on Monday (5 p.m.) in Vienna; the winner advances to the second qualifying round of the Conference League