Austrian media: “A football dwarf is waiting for us”

– Rapid Vienna must win tomorrow in Chisinau. Even Stripfing is more valuable than Petrocub, writes an Austrian journalist for the Kronen Zeitung website. Rainer Bortenschlager in his material dedicated to tomorrow’s match “Petrokub” – “Rapid” Vienna in the Conference League.

If you don’t know who “Stripfing” is, then you’re not familiar with Austrian football. “Stripfing” is an outsider in the second Austrian league (analogue of the Moldavian League 1), which is fighting for survival, and the value of the team’s players according to the Transfermarkt website is 5.58 million euros, which is 430,000 euros more than that of “Petrokub”. By the way, the cost of the players of the Vienna “Rapid” is 41.5 million euros, and 3 players of the team – the Malian Mamadou Sangare, the Austrian Matthias Seidl and the Croatian Dion Bello – cost 4 million euros each.

– The Rapid coach will get his money’s worth in the Conference League: the next stop is Chisinau, where tomorrow the green-whites will celebrate their third victory in the Conference League and this should ensure the team’s entry into the playoffs. With all due respect to Petrocub Hincesti, this team is one of the absolute dwarfs of the third strongest European Cup. They are in fifth place from the bottom in terms of the market value of the squad (5.15 million euros, which is less than Noah or Stripfing) among all 36 participating teams. It is not surprising that the Moldavian champion started in the Conference League with two defeats to Paphos (1:4) and in Bialystok (0:2), writes Rainer Bortenschlager.

The Republic of Moldova, with a GDP per capita of less than 6,000 euros, is one of the poorest countries in Europe, and one in four residents emigrates. Football entails only a ghostly existence. The only exception: Sheriff Tiraspol. The club from Transnistria made headlines in 2021 by beating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu. However, last season Petrocub achieved a double. Not having more than 1,000 fans at games. At the international level there are more of them, so the club has to move to the Zimbru national stadium.

One Rapid player has good memories from the Zimbru stadium: Louis Schaub (pictured) scored the winning goal there for Austria in 2017.

But Grödig lost to Zimbru in 2014. While GAK (2002 and 2005) did not show weakness in Moldova (they beat Sheriff and Ataki’s Nistra). This is also Rapid’s responsibility; tomorrow the green-whites have no right to lose.

As did the Austrian team in 2003 under the leadership of team coach Hans Krankl, when they lost 0:1 to Moldova in European Championship qualifying. And 14 months ago, the ÖFB team led by Rangnick almost found themselves in an awkward position after a friendly match in Linz (1:1). At least, Petrokuba footballer Mikhail Platika played there,” summed up the Austrian journalist.