Rapid Vienna Edge Past Sturm Graz in Bundesliga Encounter
Rapid Vienna secured a 3-1 victory over Sturm Graz at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The result keeps them in second place of the Austrian Bundesliga after five matchdays. By then, the hosts had already established a pattern of taking control early and maintaining it.Yusuf Demir opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the seventh minute. The visitors responded quickly through Beldjoudj Beganovic, who equalised three minutes later. Mladen Tilio restored Rapid's advantage before the half, firing home in the seventeenth minute. And here's the thing — Sturm Graz never quite recovered their composure after that period.
The second half saw several changes from both sides. Rapid brought on three players at the interval, including Jan Horn and Janko Hodl. Sturm made a single substitution, bringing on Beganovic. To be fair, the visitors continued to press forward despite going behind.
Rapid extended their lead in the eighty-sixth minute through Patrik Dahl. The goal came after a sustained period of pressure, though the visitors had actually generated more attacks overall. A red card for Alban Vallci in the ninetieth minute confirmed the final outcome.
The statistics tell an interesting story. Sturm Graz registered 112 attacks compared to Rapid's 79, yet the hosts created four big chances while their opponents managed none. Rapid's shot accuracy of thirty-eight percent proved decisive against Sturm's twenty-six. By then, the visitors' inability to convert had become apparent.
The result leaves Rapid Vienna nine points from four games played, sitting second in the table. Sturm Graz remain third with eight points from four matches. The hosts had shown glimpses of their potential in recent friendlies, and this performance suggested they might be building momentum for the season ahead.
