Rapid Vienna with last minute victory: Stöger brings a breath of fresh air!

Rapid Vienna with last minute victory: Stöger brings a breath of fresh air!

Wien, Österreich - Rapid Vienna ended the season on June 1, 2025 with a clear 3-0 victory against the LASK and thus qualified for the 2nd qualification round of the Conference League. The decisive moment of the game came in added time when the player Kara scored the last goal after a cross from Burgstaller. In a game that was characterized by a mixed performance, Rapid made the best of his risk of scoring, despite an initially disappointing course of the season.

in the first round, Rapid had to play aggressively after starting the game with a two-goal deficit. Burgstaller opened the game with a goal that fell after a quick free kick from Smolcic. The LASK also had chances in the first half, but failed several times, including a dangerous shot from George Bello, which was warded off by goalkeeper Niklas Hedl.

Change of coach and new start

With a view of the coming season, Peter Stöger will be presented as the new coach of Rapid Vienna on Monday. He succeeds Stefan Kulovits, who worked as an interim coach at short notice. Stöger, who had previously successfully trained at Austria Vienna, 1. FC Köln and Borussia Dortmund, is said to bring a breath of fresh air to the team. In addition, it is expected that Stöger will respond to the weaknesses of the past season in order to lead Rapid back to the upper table regions.

Before Stöger's return, Rapid Vienna has been training under Zoran Barisic since 10/2022. Barisic was a key figure in the club, but was no longer able to achieve the desired results. Most recently, Rapid also dealt with the coaching position at the LASK, where the successor of Maximilian Ritscher has not yet been clarified.

gameplay and omissions

The game against the LASK was not without difficulty. Some of the opportunities awarded and heated duels determined the first half. Seidl had the opportunity to score the 2-0 shortly before the break, but failed. In the second half, the LASK did everything possible to turn the game, but had to accept another goal from Rapid after a foul on Radulovic resulted in a penalty that Seidl safely converted.

The course of the game revealed the difficulties of the LASK, both in attack and in defense, while Rapid became increasingly dangerous. Another goal from Adeniran was not recognized due to offside regulation. Ultimately, Kara crowned the day for Rapid with his late goal and ensured that the team will move into the next round of the European Cup.

The victory is seen as a positive conclusion of a mixed season, and the qualification for the Conference League is an important goal. The team and the new team of coaches around Peter Stöger are now faced with the challenge of keeping the level and maximizing the possibilities that arise in Europe.

The article is based on information from Kleine Zeitung , wikipedia and Fussball and Football .