Sturm Graz II beat Rapid Vienna II 5-2 at the Zolar Stadium in the Austrian Second League's regular season opener for the fifth matchday. The home side took control early and never let go, despite a late rally from the visitors. To be fair, the result was never in doubt after the first half.
N. Jozepovic opened the scoring in the eighth minute, and by then the visitors were already chasing the game. Rapid's B. Pernot picked up a booking in the twenty-first minute, a moment Étienne Gagnon would later recall as the turning point. J. Halwachs restored the lead just before the break, and W. Lazarre extended it on the stroke of half-time. Three goals in as many minutes, and here's the thing — the match was effectively over.
Rapid came out with more purpose after the interval, but Sturm's defense held firm. N. Lang added a fourth in the seventy-first minute, and M. Grgic sealed it with the fifth in the eightieth. K. Nnamdi pulled one back for Rapid in the eighty-fifth, and Jozepovic scored again in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late. The visitors worked the channels well enough, but they couldn't find the cutting edge.
Sturm Graz II recorded ten shots on target compared to Rapid's three, and their 59 per cent possession told the story of a side that dominated proceedings. The visitors managed five saves to one, which says something about their goalkeeper's workload. Both sides picked up bookings, with Sturm collecting four and Rapid two, but there were no red cards to disrupt the flow.
The result leaves both teams on six points from five games, Sturm Graz II in tenth place and Rapid Vienna II in twelfth. It was a match decided by three or four moments rather than sustained pressure, and the home side made sure they took them. By then, the visitors had already conceded too much ground.