• croatiantimes.com
• romaniantimes.at
• salzburgtimes.at
• viennatimes.at
• austrianindependent.com

Today

• Vienna - Unknown Underground
• Vienna - Cats
• Vienna - Andy Warhol
• Vienna - Laser Tag
• Vienna - Circus Art

© www.GEPA-pictures.com

22. 08. 11. - 17:00

• more Sports news
• RSS Feed Sports

22. 08. 11. - 17:00

Austria Vienna crush Green-Whites

Rapid Vienna suffered a 0-3 fiasco in yesterday’s (Sun) Vienna derby.

The team of Peter Schöttel had a terrible day in front of nearly 32,000 supporters at the Ernst Happel Stadium. Former Derby County ace Nacer Barazite scored the opener in the 15th minute before Zlatko Junuzovic, who was named Austria’s Footballer of the Year in 2010, made it 2-0 shortly after the break (52’). Austrian national team striker Roland Linz found the net in the 66th minute in a little entertaining match in which only the away side managed to convince. Rapid’s Boris Prokopic was sent off after a foul four minutes before the end.

Austria Vienna manager Karl Daxbacher said his team were "cleverer." The ex-LASK Linz boss added: "A 3-0 derby win is something special."

Schöttel revealed his team lacked confidence. "We have to work on that," the former defender – who played for Rapid more than 500 times – stressed.

Rapid started well into the season before losing to title holders Sturm Graz 0-1. The Green-Whites are under immense pressure as they face vice champions Red Bull Salzburg (RBS) next Sunday (kickoff: 4pm; live broadcast by ORF and Sky).

The Vienna derby is one of the most tradition-rich city football battles in Europe. Yesterday’s match was the 298th encounter between Rapid and their biggest rivals. Rapid, who finished the past season in a disappointing fifth place, won 124 derby clashes. Sixty-five games ended in a draw.

Austria Vienna’s 3-0 victory came only weeks after around 200 Rapid hooligans stormed the pitch in the last Vienna derby of the 2010/2011 season. The rioters felt urged to show their disagreement with club officials’ transfer decisions and occurrences of the way the match itself as Austria Vienna led 2-0 after less than half an hour.

Police examined surveillance camera material of the scandal for weeks to help prosecutors identify and then ban the hooligans from pitches across the country. The Bundesliga penalty committee eventually decided to ban 32 offenders from soccer grounds for two years. Thirty hooligans were ordered to stay away from matches in the whole country for one year. Critics have claimed the offenders will find loopholes to get inside stadiums nevertheless due to allegedly lax security checks and identification checks at entrances.

The pitch invasion, which happened in May, started a public debate over safety at football stadiums. Politicians and football fan culture experts are at odds over whether hooligans were facing strict enough consequences in Austria.

Rapid President Rudolf Edlinger initially promised to ensure none of those who entered the pitch during the derby will ever be allowed to visit a Rapid home match ever again in their lives. The ex-Social Democratic (SPÖ) finance minister eventually realised the Austrian legal system would make it hard to speak out such a harsh sentence.

Club officials and Bundesliga bosses agreed the scandal-hit match was the final derby hosted by Rapid to take place at their home ground, the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium. Police experience fewer difficulties in taking action against lawbreaking visitors of matches at the Ernst Happel Stadium due to the track and field area which separates its stands and the pitch. Rapid may be fined as organisers of yesterday’s match for inadequate safety preparations as Austria Vienna fans managed to smuggle flares inside which they enlightened during the game.

Already on Saturday, Magna Wiener Neustadt beat Kapfenberg 2-0. Newly promoted FC Admira reached a 2-2 draw against Wacker Innsbruck. ÖFB Cup champs SV Ried defeated struggling Mattersburg 3-2 yesterday. The match between RBS and Sturm ended 1-1.

Austria Vienna face Admira in the sixth round on Sunday. On the same day, Ried will host Kapfenberg. Sturm play against Wiener Neustadt on Saturday while Mattersburg clash with Innsbruck.

Austrian Bundesliga table after five rounds:

Red Bull Salzburg, 11 points
Austria Vienna, 10
FC Admira, 8
Rapid Vienna, 7
Magna Wiener Neustadt, 7
Wacker Innsbruck, 6
Sturm Graz, 6
SV Ried, 5
Kapfenberg, 4
SV Mattersburg, 2

Austrian Times

Related articles: football

1. Foda farewell prolongs FK Austria coach quest

   » Sports 2012-05-24

   German second-league team 1. FC Kaiserslautern have presented Franco Foda as their new coach.

2. Man Utd chase Austrian ace

   » Sports 2012-05-23

   Manchester United have signalised interest in David Alaba.

3. Bulls snatch ÖFB Cup

   » Sports 2012-05-22

   Red Bull Salzburg (RBS) have won the ÖFB Cup.

more related articles tagged "football"

Turks flattened by lone asylum seeker
A furious Nigerian went on the rampage at a refuge for asylum seekers in Leibnitz, attacking several people and damaging property.

Woman bites toddler
A woman who bit a two-year-old tot during a road rage row with her mother is being quizzed by police in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

New Dany Boon comedy to be filmed in Austria
The French film star Dany Boon, one of the highest paid actors in Europe after his hit film "Welcome to the Sticks", is filming in Salzburg.

China meets Hallstatt
After a long time of speculation and anticipation the exact copy of Austrian world heritage village of Hallstatt-Dachstein in China will be unveiled, and there will be real-life Austrians present for the ceremony.

Skier in court after accident
A man from Graz is in court today accused of having inflicted negligent injury upon a five-year-old when skiing in Carinthia last year.

Two fires in Ottakring claim one life
Two fires started on Thursday evening in the Vienna district of Ottakring, one of which claimed a man’s life. Several people were evacuated as a result of the two blazes.

Cows zapped to death by lightning
Four cows were zapped to death after a lightning strike hit the barbed wire fence they were leaning on in Reith im Alpbachtal, Austria.

Wolf babies born in Schönbrunn
These cuddly Artic wolf cubs have got every right to look a bit frosty - after they emerged into the world for the first time in the middle of a 27 degree heatwave.

Cleaned Out
A Hungarian cleaning woman who stole tens of thousands of pounds worth of antique jewellery from an Austrian Countess and then sold it for "pocket money" unaware of its real value has been jailed by a court in Austria.

Great expectations for summer tourism season in Vorarlberg
The Vorarlberg tourism industry is currently riding high after a record breaking winter season, and the summer season is expected to follow that same trend.

Jobs in Austria