For Lustenau, Rapid's "Avalanche" Became a "Character Test"

Rapid's sparring partner also wore green and white this time. For SC Austria Lustenau, the journey across the country was not worth it.

A look at the scoreboard might suggest as much. However, the 1:5 (Match Report >>>) might have given the promoted team a hint of what will be required next week - and what won't.

In the UNIQA ÖFB Cup against Sturm Graz and subsequently away at Red Bull Salzburg, the caliber of opponents will hardly get any smaller.

"The reasons are quickly stated: That was the first half, which we completely slept through and played very, very passively. Especially in midfield, we didn't engage in any challenges, and were actually only active when we had possession - and that's simply not enough in this league," warned Markus Mader.

"But the second half was better; we got into the game better, put up more resistance. We scored the 1:3, a beautiful goal, how we actually wanted to play - attacking the space in behind. And we almost made it 2:3. Of course, they could have scored more, but it was a deserved victory for Rapid," he could at least be happy that his halftime talk bore fruit.

"Difficult to stop the avalanche"

"I said that you can't just want to shine with the ball. Above all, you have to do the basics, win challenges. And you can't let a strong opponent like Rapid play passing sequences without intervening," Mader also noted that while Rapid played strongly, they also faced an opponent whose resistance was non-existent.

Although his team, with a few exceptions, is made up of players who were promoted from the ADMIRAL 2. Liga. But they do have ambitions for themselves and their future: "They want to play for Rapid, LASK, Salzburg or Sturm someday. But not with tackling behavior like in the first half."

More can be built upon the second half. "It's a great shame that we already lost the game in the first half. With a performance like in the second half, we might have managed to keep it open longer."

After the 0:1, the first long ball behind the defense, "it naturally becomes difficult to stop this avalanche."

"Overwhelmed in all aspects"

Captain Pius Grabher brought some Bundesliga experience, and he too had to admit: "We were overwhelmed in all aspects. Overwhelmed by the opponent, overwhelmed by the atmosphere. A force came at us today that we couldn't stop, because for some, it was also the first time in front of such a crowd."

Especially for the young players, it left an impression: "This kind of intensity only exists at Rapid in Austria. Some of them aren't familiar with it. You could tell. Body language drops a bit, confidence is lacking, you can't communicate with each other. Therefore, it's a huge learning process for everyone, because the aspiration for most players in our team is to be able to play in such stadiums week after week."

At halftime, it was clear to him that it was about "pulling themselves together and saying that this would now be a character test, not to completely go under. We still managed to do that."

Rapid's performance, however, was one with "one of the better tactical setups in the time I've been playing in the Bundesliga. Especially concerning ball possession. If you're not strong in challenges there and don't even push the boundaries a bit, you have no chance."