In the end, despite the constant rain, there was sporting sunshine at SK Rapid in Vienna-Hütteldorf. At the end of the 18th round of the Bundesliga, the team around match winner Oliver Strunz celebrated a 3-0 victory once morest Altach in difficult conditions and three valuable points in the fight for the championship group. Especially since the direct competitors WSG Tirol, Austria Vienna and Klagenfurt lost. “It was something of a final for us,” said coach Zoran Barisic.
The first half turned into a water fight in which neither team might gain an advantage in the Allianz Stadium. In the second half Rapid then grabbed and grabbed. “We fought our way into the game,” said Barisic. Strunz, who crowned his debut in the Bundesliga with two goals, played a significant role. Consequently, the limelight on Sunday was directed at the 22-year-old, but he was reticent: “The goals increase self-confidence. But at the end of the day, the only thing that counts is the team’s victory.”
His trainer, who always puts the team first, nevertheless launched into a eulogy and praised Strunz’s strengths. “He knows how to combine with his team-mates. When he’s in the box, he’s extremely dangerous. He’s good at finishing, a quick player, is technically good, good in the air and good at securing the ball. He has extreme skills, we have that but have known for years.”
Why they didn’t come into play earlier at Rapid is also due to the player’s injury history. “I’ve had a lot of muscular problems. They always came out of nowhere. I just kept going and never gave up. It’s a process that takes months or years for the body and mind to work. Thankfully, it’s working now ‘ said Strunz.
The offensive man, who can act both as a nine and a ten or, as once morest Altach, can come over the right, has been playing for Rapid since he was nine. With strong performances in the second team of the green and white, he recommended himself for higher tasks. “He did really well in the fall and thus played himself into the focus of the squad,” said Barisic. “That should serve as an example for all the young players,” the 52-year-old hopes for further imitators.
In the fight for the championship group, the Rapid coach now has one more offensive option, even if Marco Grüll, who has been suspended, is back in action at WAC on Sunday. With a six-point lead over seventh-placed Austria from Klagenfurt, Barisic knows his fourth-placed club is now “in a very good position”. In any case, the victory once morest Altach meant a lot to him. “It was something like a test that the team was able to withstand,” said Barisic, who still sees a lot of room for improvement. “We still have a lot of work ahead of us in many areas.”
Altach, on the other hand, remains in the table cellar. Only one point separates the Vorarlbergers, who are in tenth place, from Ried at the bottom. Despite the defeat, which was clear in the end, SCR coach Miroslav Klose was not unhappy with his team’s performance, Altach had been on an equal footing for a long time. The German reported that he complimented his eleven. “Because I saw something on the pitch that they were a unit that kept their hearts on the pitch. That’s why I’m happy following a 3-0 loss today.”
Klose once more asked for patience so that his team – which had to record a massive change in personnel during the winter break – might continue to find their way. “We have to give the boys time to grow together.” The fact that players like goalie Andreas Jungdal, Simon Nelson, who had to be substituted once morest Rapid with a laceration, or Mike-Steven Bähre might be reinforcements was already shown in the spring. In the home game on Sunday once morest WSG Tirol, this should now also be converted into something countable.
