Football: Quickly Acclaimed in Cup by "Not Ordinary" Victory at WAC

Wolfsberg (APA) – The football record holder Rapid has the chance to win the ÖFB Cup title as five other Bundesliga teams. The Hütteldorfer set the ascent to the quarter-finals on a pitch that was never liked, and transferred the WAC to the Lavantttal Arena with a total of 3: 0. Coach Dietmar Kühbauer could breathe deeply, the shape curve at the Wieners is directed upwards.

With last year's finalist Salzburg (1: 0 at Austria Lustenau), LASK (3: 0 at Altach) and SKN St. Pölten (3: 2 at Lafnitz) are still the top three teams in the Bundesliga season. In addition, Austria, highly motivated, defeated the FAC on Tuesday and the national stage is the final destination, as well as TSV Hartberg (4: 3 against Innsbruck). For the moment, only Wiener Neustadt (2: 1 at Ried) has come out of the second division. The final quarter finalist was determined Thursday (today) between GAK and Kapfenberg. The draw will be organized by extreme cyclist Michael Strbader on Sunday night in Vienna.

Rapid reacted to the defeats at Hartberg (0-3 / League) and Villarreal (0-5 / Europa League) on Sunday with a 2-0 championship against Admira. The appearance in Carinthia confirmed that the direction is good. "Every victory brings peace and self-confidence and every victory helps," Kühbauer said happily. The success of 3: 0 is good. "I think we played well in the front and back," summed up the Rapids coach.

His players were completely focused. "We were very aggressive, we showed from the first minute that we were there, that we were very compact against the ball and that the change of direction was very useful," said captain Stefan Schwab. To this was added the chance to play. The second goal of double striker Andrija Pavlovic (22nd, 45th + 1) was happy and fell just before the break at the right time. Even before the 3-0 Christoph Knasmüllner (54th), everything was clear.

The WAC has not been able to connect to its good performance so far in the league. "Winning a cup match against such a powerful opponent was just not enough – we missed a lot from the start and were not present in the duels as we imagined it", said WAC coach Christian Ilzer. According to his game designer, Michael Liendl, one of them was not originally moved. "So, it's good enough for Rapid that they're not good at all," says Liendl.

This was the first triumph of the Rapids at the WAC since May 31, 2015 on the score of 5-0. "The victory of WAC 3: 0 is not trivial," stressed the meaning of Kühbauer. Rapid remain in the title race for the first title since the title of champion in 2008. The last victory of the Cup dates back to 1995 much longer. There are still three obstacles to overcome. "We are happy to be able to spend the winter in the cup and be able to do something in the spring," Schwab said.

In the second straight Wednesday in the Bundesliga, the LASK at Altach was not a nudity. "I felt a bit of mental fatigue after the Salzburg match so I'm not happy with the performance, but of course the result," said LASK coach Oliver Glasner. His kickers are now feverishly awaiting the draw – but without desire. "If you want to win the cup, you still have to beat everyone," said goalkeeper Alexander Schlager Klartext.

This includes Master Salzburg. The "bulls" had more problems in Lustenau than expected. "The most important aspect is the ascent," said coach Marco Rose. For his team, it was already the mandatory match number 22. "You can see that the English weeks have left their mark," said the German. He was convinced of the game that in the sixteenth and retired against a very powerful opponent of a lucky win. "But the boys stayed calm and believed in themselves," Rose said. Takumi Minamino's (74) single goal was an offside. "A good performance against an overwhelming opponent has remained unrewarded," said Hubert Nagel, director of the Lustenau club.

St. Pölten also lacked sovereignty in the clash with a second division. Lafnitzer's 3-1 victory over long distance defenders was only confirmed in the 82nd minute by René Gartler. "To engage was very important for the boys and the club.If you win and score three goals, you can be satisfied," said coach Ranko Popovic after his first win in the third competitive match in as coach of the Lower Austrians.