[ad_1]
“My team’s performance was at an incredibly good level,” Kühbauer said after the match against the traditional England club. “But we don’t reward ourselves,” added the Burmese. Hütteldorfer even got ahead of the favorites in Group B, but five minutes turned everything upside down. “Soccer can be cruel,” Kühbauer said. “It’s a shame for my team, a draw would have been worth it anyway, and a win could have been good. The facts are different. “
But defeat should propel Rapid to the next tasks. After the league match at the WAC, the Verdiblancos will play next Thursday (9pm CET) against Norwegian champion Molde, who also won 2-1 in Ireland at Dundalk after falling behind. “We can advance in this group,” captain Dejan Ljubicic said after his team’s performance against Arsenal.
Europa League: LASK and Rapid lose, WAC draw against Moscow
Three Austrian football clubs were in action in the Europa League on Thursday night. But there was only a sense of accomplishment for the WAC. The Carinthians achieved a 1-1 draw against CSKA Moscow. LASK and Rapid lost to the best clubs in London.
Indeed, Rapid’s performance against the London FA Cup winners should provide a huge boost. Although the “Gunners” did not appear with the best training, they were still of great quality. For a long time, Rapid was able to keep guests away from their own goal and confidence in their own abilities increased minute by minute. “We left little space for Arsenal, we defended very well and we thought we could do one thing or another,” Kühbauer said.
Defender Maximilian Hofmann hit the same line, but also regretted a possible goal in the first half. “We knew that Arsenal are brutally strong when it comes to playing, they have individual class, but we implemented the coach’s instructions well, we also had good transition moments that we could have finished better.” He went goalless to the locker room, yes. A few minutes after the break, Taxiarchis Fountas secured the lead and a lively atmosphere among the 3,000 authorized spectators. “I thought the stadium was full,” Ljubicic said, praising the fans.
Kühbauer fights with the referee
Previously, attention was focused on Czech referee Pavel Kralovec, who elbowed Eddie Nketiah, who has already been charged with yellow, against Filip Stojkovic as unpunished as a hand from Bukayo Saka in the penalty area. “You heard the scream to the last place,” Kühbauer said of the action against Stojkovic, which did not drop for no reason. But the coach fought more with handball. “There was no clear penalty. The movement went to the ball,” “Kühbauer explained his view of things.
In his analysis, however, the Rapid coach did not take into account the latest changes to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules for the 2020/21 season. There were adjustments especially on the subject of the current handball controversy. If the ball is played with the shoulder or with the part of the arm that is always covered by the sleeve of the shirt, usually the upper arm, there is no handball. A handball is only present if the ball is touched with the forearm or the hand.
Strebinger sails into the void
In the end there was no penalty, but two minutes later Rapid took the lead. But Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacted quickly and brought in star forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. “With the opening goal it was clear that there was more to come from Arsenal. With the changes, the pressure has increased, but we have not allowed anything to measure up, “said Hofmann.
Speedy goalkeeper Richard Strebinger sailed into the void in the standard situation, a free kick from the right, as 56-time Brazilian national team player David Luiz headed in to equalize. “He will know himself that he was late,” Kühbauer said of his goalkeeper’s misstep. “With the goalkeeper it is always the case that nobody can intervene afterwards. It happened, go on, you have to get it out of your head as soon as possible. “
Highlights “Edeljoker”
Four minutes later, the Londoners, who have a team 19 times more expensive than Rapid, finally turned the game around: Aubameyang, who was substituted in the second half as a “noble prankster”, used a remarkable attack to score the goal. Victory. “An elite team does not need many opportunities,” said midfielder Ljubicic. After that, Arsenal withdrew and did not allow anything else. “Such a team can defend well,” said Kühbauer, who therefore further regretted the few chances to make it 2-0.
In the end, it was the first defeat at home in the Europa League group stage after 13 games and since 2012 (0: 4 against Bayer Leverkusen, note). “It is very disappointing, but we played a really good game. Still, we can look back positively, ”summed up Rapid newcomer Marcel Ritzmaier, who made a surprising home debut in the 3-5-2 system on the left.
Arsenal praise: “Great opponent”
However, Arsenal manager Arteta looked back even more positively. The 38-year-old student of star coach Josep Guardiola also praised the Viennese after his performance: “Rapid were well organized and very committed.” Luiz also found positive words for the hosts. “It was a tough match against a great opponent. We knew it was going to be tough so we weren’t surprised by how good Rapid is. “
Kühbauer hopes that this will also be reflected in the results of the next matches against WAC and in Molde, but on Thursday there was another idea for the moment. “The players showed me, and especially today, that they can play well against high-quality opponents.”
