Rapid / Picture: APA / EXPA / THOMAS HAUMER
Rapid just turned things around. After three league defeats in a row, the Hütteldorfer asserted themselves comfortably 5: 2 against bottom light WSG Tirol on Sunday after a difficult first half and thus brought Dietmar Kühbauer's extremely wobbly coaching chair back to rest. Instead of falling back to the bottom of the table, they jumped to eighth place. This is also thanks to an explosion by Ercan Kara, who was involved in four hits.
The 25-year-old striker managed a triple pack for the first time in a rapid dress after a goal that was not given in the first half after the VAR decision. “There has to be a certain amount of trust, that's there, so you pay it back,” emphasized the match winner. Previously, he had only scored in the league in a 3-0 win against Ried. That certainly had something to do with the speculations about a change in the summer transfer time that ultimately did not materialize. “As I put it, the situation was certainly not easy, but that's how professional business is,” said the Viennese.
In the meantime he has put everything away well. “I never said I wanted to go anywhere else either. I grew up at Rapid, so I'm very satisfied and happy here.” Suddenly he screwed his goal rate up a lot, after 19 appearances there are eight competitive goals on the books. “He was always used to meeting and now had this phase. That's why it was a break for him too,” said Kühbauer. Kara, who scored four times in a horn dress in a 5-1 win against Kapfenberg on September 13, 2019, helped the team tremendously to take three points for the third time.
Kühbauer relieved
Kühbauer's relief could be read on his face. Even if no one said it in public, in the event of a defeat it would have resulted in a coach replacement. The Burgenlander knew that too. “I was already aware that the possibility would have been there if it hadn't gone that way,” said Kühbauer. However, his positive feeling before the game shouldn't deceive him. With goals immediately before and after the break, Kara ushered in the turning point for the hosts who were previously weak.
After four league games without a win, they managed to return to the road to success even without the “unbelievable power” of Block West, which is only sparsely occupied due to the 2G rule. “We tried internally to keep the ball flat. We haven't had the necessary luck recently, but said we can play football and we have to force luck. We did that,” said Rapids coach. And Kara added: “We needed a sense of achievement to fill up a bit of self-confidence. Now we have that and are back on the right track.” They always knew that the quality was there. “We all did really well together.” Captain Maximilian Hofmann was also delighted: “It was extremely important that we just write again and see that we can do it after all.”
This means that Kühbauer can work in peace for the next two weeks. This is followed by the away game at Austria Klagenfurt. Because of the tight table constellation, the eighth team has the opportunity to overtake the third-placed climber. Should that not succeed, criticism in the Rapid camp will quickly rise again. “The times will not be easier in the future because Rapid always demands something,” says Kühbauer. He learned to live with it. “The key is to stay calm.”
Tyrolean worries
WSG coach Thomas Silberberger is also criticized. After the 4: 2 against Ried, the first triumph after 14 games without a win, another setback followed. “I'm happy for Didi that he came out, now I'm easily in a mess,” said the Tyrolean insight. The problem is also growing in terms of personnel. Due to the red card from Raffael Behounek, the currently last fit central defender will be banned from the next home game against Hartberg. Silberberger is therefore hoping for the ailing Maxime Awoudja to return during the international break.
If this does not happen, the club is called upon to look out for players without a contract. And maybe also on the offensive, where Tobias Anselm is out for a long time. “We have to think about that,” said Silberberger. The situation in the table is anything but hopeless, the fifth Hartberg is only five points away. “Nobody likes to be bottom of the table. But not much has changed. The table is extremely impressive,” says the WSG coach, who wants to achieve a “mandatory win” against Hartberg.
