A promotion without shine: Rapid defeated Paide and is in the play-offs

Trainer Johannes Hoff Thorup rotated vigorously again. The Dane made nine changes compared to the Bundesliga win against Ried. Only goalie Hedl and Schöller remained in the starting lineup.

With the newly formed team, Rapid initially found it difficult to create dangerous opportunities. The Estonians also tried to set playful accents on the lawn, which was still infested with a fungus. At times, Paide even defended with a chain of six, making it difficult for Hütteldorfer to find space for combinations. The shots from a distance remained too harmless.

So it took until the 38th minute before To the linden tree A Stangl pass from Wurmbrand pushed over the line for a 1-0 lead. Rapid controlled the game, but initially struggled to create dangerous chances even after the break. A shot from Haidara after a nice combination was too central (55′).

Opportunities are in short supply

After about an hour, Hoff Thorup made a triple substitution, bringing on Bajlicz, Adamsen and Dahl. The substitutions immediately gave Hütteldorfer more momentum on the offensive. Jarju had to stretch when Schaub shot (66′). But the enthusiasm was gone as quickly as it came. There was little offensive from the Estonians over long stretches. The biggest chance was missed by Anier, who ran alone towards Hedl after a mistake by Cvetkovic. However, the goalie made a strong save with his foot (73′).

After a foul on Wurmbrand, the VAR finally decided on a penalty after referee Shurman initially saw the action outside the penalty area. Schaub stepped up – and scored confidently to make the final score 2-0 (82nd).

Goalscorer Schaub wasn’t satisfied after the game: “We weren’t that lively. If you’re not at 100 percent, that’s simply not enough. That can’t happen to us in the coming weeks.”

Rapid will face the loser of the duel in the play-off Heart of Midlothian against Benfica Lisbon (First leg: 1:6).