Violets Take 303rd Vienna Derby

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A goal on either side of the halftime whistle by 23-year-old winger ALEXANDER GORGON gave home-standing FK AUSTRIA VIENNA a deserved 2-0 triumph over visiting intra-city arch-rival SK RAPID VIENNA at the old Franz Horr Stadion in the 303rd installment of the always-entertaining WIENER DERBY.

The important win allowed trainer PETER STOEGER’s side to take sole possession of second place in the Austria Bundesliga standings just one point behind defending champion Red Bull Salzburg. FK Austria Vienna now sport twenty-six points from twelve matches and boast a second consecutive triumph over die Gruen-Weissen this term in what is certainly one of Europe’s most intriguing metropolitan rivalries. Meanwhile, SK Rapid Vienna fell to third in the table trailing their historical adversary by three points.

The Green-Whites are now winless in the last seven matches with the Violets.

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Czech Republic international TOMAS JUN, the 29-year-old winger who scored four goals in each of the last two Bundesliga seasons for FK Austria Vienna, has tallied three times in a dozen Austrian top flight matches already this term; Jun netted nine goals in his first season for die Veilchen after transferring from SC Rheindorf Altach in the summer of 2009.
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WIENER DERBY, all-time record
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124 wins … SK Rapid Vienna
111 wins …. FK Austria Vienna

68 drawn matches

FK AUSTRIA VIENNA are the country’s most successful side in history having won 23 Bundesliga titles while also winning the domestic cup on 27 occasions … For its part, SK RAPID VIENNA have won a record 32 Bundesliga titles and have also lifted the OFB-Cup another 14 times.

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FK AUSTRIA VIENNA : Lindner – Koch, Rogulj, Ortlechner, Suttner – Holland, Mader, Simkovic (Spiridonovic 90′) – Gorgon, Hoisner (Kienast 86′), Jun (Gruenwald 82′)

SK RAPID VIENNA : Koenigshofer – Trimmel, Sonnleitner, Gerson, Katzer – Ildiz, Prager – Schaub (Drazan 46′), Burgstaller, Grozurek (Boyd 46′) – Alar (Kulovits 77′)

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Violets Victorious In 302nd Vienna Derby

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SK Rapid Vienna right back MARKUS KATZER, the 32-year-old veteran who has counted eleven caps for Oesterreich in his career, and FK Austria Vienna left winger ALEXANDER GORGON both eye the ball at the sun-drenched Gerhard Hanappi Stadion in the Huetteldforf section of the Austrian capital city during the 302nd edition of the always-entertaining Vienna Derby.
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Two goals within a quarter hour on either side of the halftime whistle and a late third tacked on for good measure allowed visiting FK AUSTRIA VIENNA to dispatch fierce, intra-city arch-rival SK RAPID VIENNA by the convincing scoreline of 3-0 in the 302nd installment of the great VIENNA DERBY.

SK Rapid Vienna, who have won a record 32 domestic championships in the club’s storied history, started bright enough for the first half hour or so but were unable to capitalize on the chances created. The youthful Austria international CHRISTOPHER DRAZAN twiced fired in low shots from the left only to see the confident FK Austria Vienna goalkeeper HEINZ LINDNER, the 22-year-old who made his international debut for Austria in the 3-2 win over Ukraine this past June, comfortably stop both. In between, new United States international striker TERRENCE BOYD, the 21-year-old native of Berlin who scored 20 goals in 32 games in the German Regionalliga West last term for Borussia Dortmund.II before signing with the Green-Whites this summer, had only been denied by an admirable, sliding block from the Violets’ Croatian defender KAJA ROGULJ.

FK Austria Vienna trainer PETER STOEGER, the two-term Violets midfielder who earned 65 caps and scored 15 goals for Austria back in his playing days, decided to select veteran striker ROMAN KIENAST for the very first time in this, the team’s fourth competitive game of the fledgling season. That decision paid big dividends seven minutes before the break when the one-time SK Rapid Vienna youth team product netted after experienced defender MANUEL ORTLECHNER alertly pulled the ball back for Kienast on an odd-looking play in the box. Unfortunately for die Huetteldorfer, though, their former striker was only just getting started.

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Australia international midfielder JAMES HOLLAND (left) of FK Austria Vienna, the 23-year-old who signed for die Veilchen from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar last January, and recently-arrived United States international striker TERRENCE BOYD of SK Rapid Vienna, who scored two goals on his debut for die Gruen-Weissen in the 4-0 win over Wacker Innsbruck to open this Austrian Bundesliga season, engage in an aerial duel during the 302nd Wiener Derby at the sold-out Gerhard Hanappi Stadion.
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Violets winger ALEXANDER GORGON had whiffed on his attempt in the 52nd minute but midfielder DARE VRSIC, the 27-year-old Slovenia international acquired from Olympia Ljubljana this summer, collected the loose ball on the right and delivered an inch-perfect cross for Kienast. Left all alone in the center, the 28-year-old easily nodded home for a second in the 302nd Wiener Derby and, in doing so, equaled his total for die Veilchen last term. Kienast, who has appeared ten times for Oesterreich while notching a pair of goals in the process, scored twice on a baker’s dozen appearances for FK Austria Vienna after transferring from Sturm Graz at the end of January.

Kienast might have had the hat trick at his old Gerhard Hanappi Stadion stomping grounds, too, had by-now beleaguered SK Rapid Vienna goalkeeper LUKAS KOENIGSHOFER not steered a point-blank header from the in-form Austria international striker off the crossbar later on. An egregious error by Green-Whites midfielder MARKUS HEIKKINEN, the 33-year-old with 66 caps for Finland who had come on as a substitute for die Gruen-Weissen with less than twenty minutes remaining, did enable Kienast to race away and set up a third, though. Midfielder TOMAS SIMKOVIC, the former Austria U-20 international who was only acquired by FK Austria Vienna from SC Wiener Neustadt this summer, was more than happy to receive a square ball and beat the on-rushing Koenigshofer to score a first-ever goal for die Veilchen on his Wiener Derby debut.

A great success on the day for new FK Austria Vienna trainer Stoeger, also just arrived from SC Wiener Neustadt this summer, and his new 4-3-3 system, as well. Die Veilchen, who claim the honor of Austria’s most decorated team having won a combined 50 league and Cup titles, remained unbeaten in the last six Wiener Derby matches with their great intra-city rival. The all-time record now stands as follows :

SK Rapid Vienna – 124 wins, FK Austria Vienna – 110 wins, drawn matches – 68

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SK Rapid Vienna captain STEFFEN HOFMANN, the 31-year-old former Bayern Munich midfielder who has scored 79 goals in 326 Austrian Bundesliga games for die Gruen-Weissen in his career, and FK Austria Vienna winger TOMAS JUN, the Czech Republic international who recently bagged two goals in the Violets’ Pokalsieg over SV Oberwart to open this season, battle for the ball during the 302nd Wiener Derby.
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SK RAPID VIENNA : Koenigshofer – Trimmel, Sonnleitner, Gerson, Katzer – Kulovits (Prager 60′), Ildiz (Heikkinen 73′) – Hofmann, Alar, Drazan (Burgstaller 60′) – Boyd

FK AUSTRIA VIENNA : Lindner – Dilaver, Rogulj, Ortlechner, Suttner – Vrsic (Mader 67′), Holland, Simkovic – Gorgon (Stankovic 72′), Kienast, Jun (Murg 85′)

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301st Wiener Derby : Another Goalless Draw

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The cross-town rivalry between FK AUSTRIA VIENNA and SK RAPID VIENNA, the third-most contested intra-city derby on the planet known as Earth, ended in a draw for the third consecutive time last Sunday as the Violets and the Green-Whites played to a yet another 0-0 draw in front of 12,900 spectators at the little Franz Horr Stadion in the capital city of Oesterreich.

SK Rapid Vienna, whose 32 first division titles are unmatched by any other Austrian football club, might have gone top of the Bundesliga table win a victory over die Veilchen. As it stands, the Gruen-Weissen team of trainer PETER SCHOETTEL, who were without German captain STEFFEN HOFMANN — second on the Green-Whites with six goals in the Bundesliga this season — for the 301st Wiener Derby, still pulled to within a single point of current league leaders Red Bull Salzburg. FK Austria Vienna, whose combined 23 league championships and 27 domestic Cup titles make trainer IVICA VASTIC’s charges the most decorated club in the land, moved into third place (which provides for an all-important ticket to the UEFA Europa League next season) with its share of the spoils.

SK Rapid Vienna, having lost the first Wiener Derby of this current term to the Violets 3-0 at home late last August, failed to register at least one victory in an intra-city season series with their arch-adversary for the first time since the 2004/05 campaign; FK Austria Vienna, meanwhile, are still in search of a first win against die Huetteldorfer at home since early May of 2010.

All-time WIENER DERBY Record
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SK Rapid Vienna 124 wins, FK Austria Vienna 109 wins and 68 drawn matches

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SK Rapid Vienna goalkeeper LUKAS KOENIGSHOFER collects the ball before FK Austria Vienna veteran substitute striker ROLAND LINZ, the 30-year-old Austria international who has already played professional football in France, Portugal, Switzerland as well as Turkey on his travels, during the 301st Wiener Derby at the old Franz Horr Stadion in the capital city of Oesterreich.
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FK AUSTRIA VIENNA : Lindner – Klein, Rogulj, Ortlechner, Suttner – Dilaver, Mader – Gorgon, Jun (Linz 66′), Leovac (Liendl 61′) – Kienast (Stankovic 78′)

SK RAPID VIENNA : Koenigshofer – Schimpelsberger, Sonnleitner, Pichler, Katzer (Schrammel 33′) – Heikkinen, Prokopac (Grozurek 67′) – Trimmel (Kulovits 65′), Alar, Drazan – Nuhiu

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FK Austria Vienna goalkeeper HEINZ LINDNER (13), the 21-year-old who regained his first team place earlier this fall after summer signing Pascal Gruenwald was felled by injury, secures the ball with SK Rapid Vienna striker ADTHE NUHIU, who leads die Huetteldorfer with eight goals in the Austrian top flight this term, lurking in the penalty area during the 301st Wiener Derby at the old Franz Horr Stadion.

300th Vienna Derby Is A Dead Heat For FK Austria & SK Rapid

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SK Rapid Vienna’s German captain STEFFEN HOFMANN (right), the one-time Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 Munich midfielder who has now made 288 appearances while scoring 77 goals for die Gruen-Weissen in the Austrian Bundesliga, looks to pull away from FK Austria Vienna midfielder MICHAEL LIENDL during the historic 300th WIENER DERBY between the Green-Whites and the Violets at the Ernst Happel Stadion in the capital city of Austria.
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Of the all the exciting, not to mention numerous, Derby football matches that are contested routinely all across the entire planet there are only two others than have been played more often than the wonderful FK AUSTRIA WIEN v SK RAPID WIEN rivalry from the capital city of Oesterreich … only the famous Celtic v Rangers in Scotland’s Glagow and Fenerbahce v Galatasary in Turkey’s Istanbul can claim more meetings throughtout the entire history of world football.

Unfortunately, the 300th WIENER DERBY left alot to be desired both from an attendance standpoint as well as exciting, goal-scoring action as the punchless pair of die Gruen-Weissen and die Veilchen ground to a 0-0 stalemate in front of only 29,400 at the old Praterstadion on such a noteworthy occasion.

FK Austria Vienna, who might have overtaken their intra-city rivals at the top of the table with a victory on Saturday in only their second match under new trainer IVICA VASTIC, were clearly missing the attacking prowess of the two players sold off during the Winterpause. Morocco international NACER BARAZITE, who still leads the Violets with eight goals in the Bundesliga this season, was bought by French second divison club AS Monaco for a fee of 3.0 million Euros at the end of January. Earlier, Austria international midfielder ZLATKO JUNUZOVIC, who had registered six goals for die Veilchen this term, was transferred to German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen in exchange for 750,000 Euros.

Former Austria U-21 international striker ADTHE NUHIU, who leads 32-times national champion SK Rapid Vienna with six goals this season, once again began on the bench for trainer PETER SCHOETTEL while 27-year-old Albania international HAMDI SALIHI, who scored 33 goals in 55 Bundesliga games his first two campaigns for die Gruen-Weissen before managing just three strikes in a dozen league matches this term, has been dispatched to D.C. United of Major League Soccer in the capital city of the United States; it was 22-year-old GUIDO BURGSTALLER, who netted the equalizing goal of the 299th Weiner Derby with a first career strike for the Green-Whites, that started up front for SK Rapid.

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Australia international JAMES HOLLAND of FK Austria Vienna, the 22-year-old defensive midfielder just recently signed by the Violets on a free transfer from Dutch Eredivisie club AZ 67 Alkmaar, looks to dribble around SK Rapid Vienna midfielder THOMAS PRAGER (23), the 26-year-old Austria international out on loan for the season from Swiss club FC Luzern, on his first ever appearance in the oft-played Wiener Derby.
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Burgstaller, the summer signing from SC Wiener Neustadt, had the best opportunity of the first half a minute just before the break with a close range header from the corner kick of SK Rapid Vienna captain STEFFEN HOFMANN. But FK Austria Vienna goalkeeper HEINZ LINDNER, the 21-year-old who regained his first team place in between the sticks for the Violets earlier this past fall after summer signing PASCAL GRUENWALD was injured, was able to make the critical save. Lindner was needed once again just after the restart to deal with the header of SK Rapid’s Austria international winger CHRISTOPHER TRIMMEL.

Trimmel, the 24-year-old who has totaled four goals in the top flight for die Gruen-Weissen this season, had the most glorious chance of the entire game with just three minutes remaining but could not be the big hero in the 300th Wiener Derby after his header smashed harmlessly off the crossbar; shortly thereafter, former Austria U-21 international midfielder FLORIAN KLEIN might have snatched a late winner for FK Austria Vienna in the 88th minute by had his shot parried away by Wiener Derby debutant LUKAS KOENIGSHOFER, the nervy 22-year-old appearing in just his sixth career match in the Bundesliga top flight.

Their share of the spoils against the cross-town rivals left SK Rapid Vienna with a two-point lead at the summit of the Austrian Bundesliga standings although FK Austria Vienna, for its part, did move up into second place past SV Ried by virtue of goal differential.

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FK Austria Vienna striker TOMAS JUN, the 29-year-old Czech Republic international who has counted three goals in the Bundesliga this season, watches closely as SK Rapid Vienna defender MARKUS KATZER, the 32-year-old veteran with 11 caps (0 go) for Austria to his credit, carefully controls the ball during the historic 300th Wiener Derby at the Ernst Happel Stadion.
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SK RAPID VIENNA : Koenigshofer – Schimpelsberger, Sonnleitner, Pichler, Katzer – Heikkinen (Kulovits 81′), Prager (Nuhiu 64′) – Drazan (Alar 70′), Hofmann, Trimmel – Burgstaller

FK AUSTRIA VIENNA : Lindner – Dilaver, Margreitter, Ortlechner, Suttner – Holland, Liendl (Simkovic 71′) – Leovac, Jun, Gorgon (Klein 46′) – Kienast (Tadic 62′)

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299th Vienna Derby Ends In Draw

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SK Rapid Vienna’s attacking midfielder and German club captain STEFFEN HOFMANN (right), the former Bayern Munich youth team product who first started playing with die Gruen-Weissen in the summer of 2002, looks to tackle the ball away from advancing FK Austria Vienna midfielder ALEXANDER GORGON during the 299th edition of the always-interesting WIENER DERBY at the tiny Franz Horr Stadion in the southern part of the Austrian capital city.
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The two clubs have combined to win the Austrian national championship on 55 occasions to date but nothing was settled in the 299th clash of great intra-city rivals as FK AUSTRIA VIENNA and cross-town adversary SK RAPID VIENNA battled to a 1-1 draw in the 12th round of the Bundesliga von Oesterreich.

Czech Republic international TOMAS JUN, deployed as the central attacking midfielder in the Startelf for die Veilchen by trainer KARL DAXBAXCHER, had made a spectacular run right through three players in the center of the SK Rapid Vienna defense only to be denied by Austria international goalkeeper HELGE PAYER. But Payer, the 32-year-old veteran who was making his first start since losing his place earlier this season to Slovakian JAN NOVOTA, could not punch the resulting corner kick effectively to safety. Lurking at the edge of the area was Jun, who volleyed the attempted clearance into the back of the net and give FK Austria Vienna a 37th minute advantage.

A second goal of this season in the Austrian Bundesliga for Jun, who has also struck three times in UEFA Europa League competition this term, as well.

Led by one-time Bayern Munich midfielder STEFFEN HOFMANN, the visiting side responded just before the halftime break. The 31-year-old veteran captain of die Gruen-Weissen beat two FK Austria Vienna defenders on the left before squaring the ball for youthful striker GUIDO BURGSTALLER all alone on the right. The 22-year-old summer signing from SC Wiener Neustadt then neatly curled around Violet goalkeeper PASCAL GRUENWALD to score his first-ever goal for SK Rapid Vienna and knot the Wiener Derby.

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Austria international midfielder THOMAS PRAGER of SK Rapid Vienna, who is out on loan to the Green-Whites for the season from Swiss Superliga club FC Luzern, is sent flying by the challenge of FK Austria Vienna midfielder FLORIAN MADER, the 29-year-old summer signing of die Veilchen from SV Ried, during the 299th Wiener Derby at the venerable if very small Franz Horr Stadion, which was originally constructed back in 1925.
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SK Rapid Vienna trainer PETER SCHOETTEL fielded a different team for the twelfth time in as many Bundesliga matches this season; Albania international HAMDI SALIHI, who led the Green-Whites with 18 goals in the Bundesliga last season, was left on the bench once more although the 27-year-old striker, whose three goals in the top flight pace die Gruen-Weissen yet again this term, did make an appearance as a second half substitute.

Austria international ROLAND LINZ, who still leads die Veilchen with six goals in the Bundesliga this season but has seen his role reduced to that of a substitute in the last three matches, had two excellent chances to tip the scales for FK Austria Vienna. The 30-year-old veteran received a great ball on the right six yards out after a fine run by fellow-substitute MICHAEL LIENDL on the left but had his shot deflected off the post by SK Rapid Vienna’s 31-year-old Austria international defender MARKUS KATZER with less than a quarter of an hour to play. Later in time added on, Linz was way over the bar with a fine ball from Violet midfielder FLORIAN MADER.

Morocco international NACER BARAZITE, who leads FK Austria Vienna this season with 13 goals including nine in Europe and netted in the previous Wiener Derby this past August, was effectively neutralized as a solitary striker up front this time by the SK Rapid Vienna defense.

The all-time series record between the two great Viennese rivals including league and cup matches now stands as follows :

SK Rapid Vienna 124 wins, FK Austria Vienna 109 wins, 66 draws

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Austria international ZLATKO JUNUZOVIC of FK Austria Vienna, the talented 24-year-old midfielder who is tied for second on the Violets with four goals in the Bundesliga this season, goes down after the challenge of SK Rapid Vienna defender MICHAEL SCHIMPELSBERGER during the 299th Wiener Derby at the Franz Horr Stadion in the the southern section of the Austrian capital city.
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FK AUSTRIA VIENNA : P. Gruenwald – Klein, Ortlechner, Margreitter, Suttner – Mader, A. Gruenwald (Liendl 72′) – Gorgon (Linz 62′), Jun (Stankovic 92′), Junuzovic – Barazite

SK RAPID VIENNA : Payer – Schimpelsberger, Sonnleitner, Soma, Katzer – Prager, Pichler – Trimmel, Hofmann (Thornhofer 90′), Drazan (Prokopic 81′) – Burgstaller (Salihi 79′)

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FK Austria Race Past SK Rapid In 298th Vienna Derby

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SK Rapid Vienna’s Austria international defender THOMAS SCHRAMMEL (left), a summer signing by die Gruen-Weissen from SV Ried, heads the ball away as veteran FK Austria Vienna striker ROLAND LINZ, who has been capped 38 times while scoring eight goals for Austria in his career, sticks in a boot during the 298th installment of the Weiner Derby at the neutral site of the national Ernst Happel Stadion in the Hauptstadt von Oesterreich.
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Energized by a quick strike just fifteen minutes into the contest, FK AUSTRIA VIENNA tacked on two more lovely goals after the halftime whistle and ran out a comfortable 3-0 Derby victor opposite their great cross-town, arch-rival SK RAPID VIENNA in the fifth round of the Austria Bundesliga.

Morocco international NACER BARAZITE has scored a whopping eight goals in five UEFA Europa League qualification matches this summer but had failed to find the back of the net in his first four Bundesliga contests entering the latest Weiner Derby. It did not take the 21-year winger long to open his domestic account, however, after taking a sharp pass from midfielder ALEXANDER GRUENWALD, the summer signing from SC Wiener Neustadt, at the neutral-site Ernst Happel Stadion at the top of the box. Barazite first arrived in the Austrian capital last winter after his loan arrangement with Dutch Eredivisie club FC Vitesse Arnhem had been terminated and English Premier League outfit FC Arsenal had canceled the remainder of his contract

The youthful Moroccan was prominent in the second goal arriving seven minutes into the second half, as well, after storming down the right wing into the box and pulling the ball back for Austria international striker ROLAND LINZ. The 30-year-old veteran striker unselfishlessly played the ball off into the path of on-rushing FK Austria Vienna midfielder ZLATKO JUNUZOVIC, who, himself, had played a clever ball to Gruenwald just prior to Barazite’s tally. The 23-year-old Austria international neatly curled the ball around SK Rapid Vienna’s Austria international goalkeeper HELGE PAYER to score his first goal of the new season and double the Violets’ advantage.

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SK Rapid Vienna midfielder STEFAN KULOVITS (left), who has made but a single appearance for Austria thus far in his career, slide-tackles 28-year-old Czech Republic international attacker TOMAS JUN perhaps a bit too rough during the rather one-sided, 298th Wiener Derby played at the neutral-site, national Ernst Happel Stadion.
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Junuzovic, who stood second for FK Austria Vienna with nine goals in 33 Bundesliga matches last term, was at the heart of what turned out to be a fabulous tick-tack-toe movement for Linz to finish in the 66th minute. After racing into the area to latch on a return ball from Czech Republic international attacker TOMAS JUN, the creative Junuzovic squared for the veteran striker to a simply tap in from close range. Linz, for his part, now counts five goals from five matches in the Bundesliga this season and 32 goals from 46 league games for the Violets since signing from Turkish club Gaziantepspor in Janaury of 2010.

“Traumfussball — Dream Football” is how one Austrian publication described the third goal from trainer KARL DAXBACHER’s FK Austria Vienna troops.

The all-time series record between the great intra-city Viennese rivals including league and cup matches would now be as follows:

SK Rapid Vienna 124, FK Austria Vienna 109, drawn 65

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Morocco international winger NACER BARAZITE of FK Austria Vienna, who scored four goals in 16 Bundesliga games last season after arriving from Dutch club FC Vitesse Arnhem in the winter, accepts congratulations from his assistant ALEXANDER GRUENWALD (10) after scoring the first goal on the quarter hour in the 298th Wiener Derby against SK Rapid Vienna at the neutral-site, national Ernst Happel Stadion.
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SK RAPID VIENNA : Payer – Schimpelsberger, Sonnleitner, Soma, Schrammel – Hofmann (Trimmel 71′), Kulovits (Drazan 46′), Pichler, Prokopic – Alar, Nuhiu (Heikkinen 72′)

FK AUSTRIA VIENNA : P. Gruenwald – Klein, Margreitter, Ortlechner, Suttner – Hlinka, A. Gruenwald (Mader 70′) – Barzite (Stankovic 75′), Jun (Liendl 84′), Junuzovic – Linz

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Austria international striker ROLAND LINZ, the well-traveled veteran who has appeared with clubs in France, Portual, Switzerland and Turkey over the course of his career, celebrates the spectacular product of flowing football immediately after the third and final goal for FK Austria Vienna against intra-city, arch-rival SK Rapid Vienna during the 298th Wiener Derby at the neutral-site, national Ernst Happel Stadion in the capital city of Oesterreich.
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second goal from Junuzovic below

FK Austria, SK Rapid Will Duel In 296th Wiener Stadt Derby

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Rapid Vienna defender TANJU KAYHAN (left) goes down with the challenge from FK Austria Vienna’s Austria international midfielder ZLATKO JUNUZOVIC, the second-leading scorer with seven Bundesliga goals for die Veilchen this season, during the 295th Wiener Stadt Derby this past December at the Franz Horr Stadion in the southern section of Austria’s capital city. (Robert Zolles/Reuters)
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Approaching yet another milestone, century-old rivals FK AUSTRIA VIENNA and SK RAPID VIENNA will meet yet again on Sunday in the 296th edition of the always-entertaining WIENER STADT DERBY.

The two clubs, who have traded 1-0 victories as visitors in the two prior matches played thus far this season, are easily the most successful sides in the history of Austrian domestic football having won a combined 36 championships since the national league was first established after World War II.

The Violets are, at present, on course for a first Bundesliga championship in five seasons but the visiting Gruen-Weissen, stuck in a year-long slump and sixth in the table, will be looking play the role of spoiler and de-rail any such title aspirations :

VIENNESE DERBY, all-time record
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Lge — SK Rapid Vienna 112, FK Austria Vienna 89, tied 62
Cup — FK Austria Vienna 18, SK Rapid Vienna 10, tied 3
S.C. — SK Rapid Vienna 1, FK Austria Vienna 0

total ——— SK Rapid Vienna 123, FK Austria Vienna 107, tied 65

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Austria international striker and club captain ROLAND LINZ, who scored the game-winning goal for FK Austria Vienna in the first intra-city contest of this season this past September, tugs the shirt of Rapid Vienna’s Norway international defender RAGNVALD SOMA in a bid to reach the ball during the 295th Viennese Derby this past December at the Franz Horr Stadion in the southern section of Austria’s capital city. (Robert Zolles/Reuters)

Ernst Happel – Austrian Hero

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Austria defender ERNST HAPPEL of SK Rapid Vienna (left) sticks in a boot to tackle the ball away from an attacking player of host nation Switzerland during the 1954 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne. (DPA photo)
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Well before the world had ever heard of Portugal’s masterful JOSE MOURINHO, he was recognized as the planet’s premier factory manager. Indeed, no matter where this brilliant Austrian trainer pitched his tent across the continent throughout his extraordinary career, important football championships were sure to go into immediate production. The first manager to steer two different clubs to European Cup glory, he was, of course, the incomparable ERNST HAPPEL.

Unlike Mourinho, the current leader of Real Madrid looking to lift the European Cup in the UEFA Champions League this season for a third different football club, the legendary Happel had a standout career as an international player before joining the ranks of management.

Happel broke into the ranks of the first team for SK Rapid Vienna at the age of 17 and spent the next dozen seasons at the heart of the defense for die Gruen-Weissen. The Vienna native earned his first cap for Austria against Hungary in 1947 and represented his country at the 1948 XIV Summer Olympic Games in London, England. Having captured a fifth Austrian championship with Rapid to conclude the 1953-54 campaign, Happel moved to France to join Racing Club de Paris.

But not before helping Austria to a credible 3rd place finish at the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland.

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At the airport upon returning from Greece, West Germany World Cup striker HORST HRUBESCH (left) and Austrian manager ERNST HAPPEL proudly show off the spoils won by Bundesliga side SV Hamburg from the 1-0 conquest of Italian club FC Juventus of Turin in the Final of the 1983 European Cup at Athens’ Olympic Stadium. (uefa.com/getty images)
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After two seasons and nine goals in 42 games of French football for Racing Club de Paris, Happel returned home to finish his career with SK Rapid Vienna. One last Austrian domestic title with the Green-Whites was achieved in 1957 while another appearance at the FIFA World Cup final tournament followed a year later in Sweden. Over the course of his career, Happel earned 51 caps and scored five goals for Austria.

The accomplished international defender retired at the end of the 1958-59 campaign after 25 goals in 240 league games for Rapid Vienna.

Happel remained with Rapid Vienna as an assistant coach and helped the club to the Austrian championships in 1960 and the OFB Pokal the next season before departing for ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands to begin a remarkable career as head trainer.

Happel’s first trophy came in 1968 with the KNVB Cup for ADO Den Haag. The very next year, the Austrian manager directed Feyenoord Rotterdam to the Dutch league and Cup double. On the heels of that, Feyenoord captured the most coveted prize of all, the European Cup, in 1970.

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ERNST HAPPEL
trainer resume
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1962/68 —— ADO Den Haag (Holland)
1968/73 —— Feyenoord Rotterdam (Holland)
1973/75 —— FC Sevilla (Spain)
1975/78 —— KV Club Bruges (Belgium)
1978 ———— HOLLAND national team
1978/79 —— KRC Harelbeke (Belgium)
1979/81 —— Standard Liege (Belgium)
1981/87 —— SV Hamburg (West Germany)
1987/91 —— FC Swarovski Tirol (Austria)
1991/92 —— AUSTRIA national team

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ERNST HAPPEL
honors won
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ADO DEN HAAG ——- 1968 Dutch Cup

FEYENOORD ROTTERDAM —— 1969, 1971 Dutch Eredivisie ; 1969 Dutch Cup ; 1970 European Cup ; 1970 Intercontinental Cup

CLUB BRUGES — 1976, 1977, 1978 Belgian League ; 1977 Belgian Cup

SV HAMBURG — 1982, 1983 West German Bundesliga ; 1983 European Cup ; 1987 West German Cup

FC SWAROVSKI TIROL — 1989, 1990 Austrian Bundesliga ; 1989 Austrian Cup

Holiday Viennese Stadia Tour

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WIENER STAATSOPER (likelyimpossibilities.blogspot.com photo)
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Perhaps it is all rather appropriate, then, to have a stadium tour of this time of year in the Austrian capital city of VIENNA (WIEN).

One of the outstanding features of the Holiday Season is all the fantastic Christmas music about on offer, contemporary or classical. Of course, Vienna is a historical city with a long tradition and culture involving the theatre, opera as well as classical music. It is home to world-renowned venues such as the BURGTHEATER, the STAATSOPER and the WIENER MUSIKVEREIN — places where the famous works of Austrian legends such as WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART and JOHANN STRAUSS feature prominently on a routine basis.

Much like the members of an orchestra, talented individuals on a football team must operate in concert. A wonderfully skillled and creative player such as the German sweeper FRANZ BECKENBAUER is often referred to as a virtuoso. The football arena, naturally, would be the grand opera house or, perhaps, concert hall — site of performances that stir the soul and energize the spirit.

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The blog is not entirely sure exactly how many of these boys grew up to become goalkeepers for the national team of Austria, nevertheless…

Holiday Viennese Stadia Tour – Scheduled Stops

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(Martin Ortner photo)
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All aboard…the schedule of stops for the Holiday Viennese Stadia Tour hosted by the blog will be as follows :

ERNST HAPPEL STADION — opened 1931 — Austria national team — capacity 53,008
(former Praterstadion)

FRITZ HORR STADION — opened 1925 — FK Austria Vienna — capacity 13,400
(now Generali Arena)

GERHARD HANAPPI STADION — opened 1977 — SK Rapid Vienna — capacity 18,500

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A shot from inside the snowy Praterstadion taken during the recent UEFA Europa League match featuring SK Rapid Vienna and visiting Portuguese side FC Porto from this past December 2 in the Leopoldstadt district of the Austrian capital city of Vienna. (rapidhammer.footballunited.com)