SK Rapid Vienna vs. Liverpool F.C. 19th July 2009
Rapid Vienna, Who are they? (Edited Highlights)
History:SK RAPID was founded on 8th January 1899, effectively replacing the âErste Wiener Arbeiter FuĂballklubâ founded in September 1898. Since 1911 SK Rapid has played in the top flight in Austria. The club won the first football league, held in 1911/1912, and is today the record title holder having won the league title an impressive 32 times. Rapid also became the first club to win the Austrian Cup in the 1918/1919 season.
The club is famous for the âRapidviertelstundeâ â a tradition where the fans applaud for the final 15 minutes of every single game to motivate the players â and the âRapidgeistâ â the spirit of the club. The team is dedicated to what it represents and therefore never gives up, something that has been highlighted over the years by a number of matches that have been dramatically turned around.
The club celebrated its centenary year in 1999. For ten days, Viennaâs Rathausplatz was transformed into a Rapid zone decorated in the green and white of the club. To mark the occasion, a celebratory tournament was held in July which was attended by Roma, Werder Bremen and Botafogo Rio de Janeiro, as well as dozens of ex-Rapid players from throughout the clubâs rich history. Unfortunately no title was to follow that year.
The record title winners are still Austriaâs most popular club. This is an achievement of which we are proud and determined not only to maintain, but also continuously build upon.
In the 2004/05 season Rapid won their first league title since 1996. The average attendance rocketed and, with almost 15,000 fans per game, memories of the glory years during the 50s and 60s came flooding back.
Another title was added three years later. In the 2007/08 campaign, the HĂźtteldorf side secured its 32nd league title. Several games were sold out throughout the season, again increasing the average attendance. And the perfect highlight came in the run-in, as Rapid destroyed reigning champions and league leaders Red Bull Salzburg 7:0 in their own stadium.Honors:32 x Austrian League Champions
14 x Austrian Cup Winners
3 x Austrian Supercup Winners
UEFA Intertoto Cup 2007
Stadium:Gerhard Hanappi-Stadium
The Gerhard Hanappi Stadion, located to the west of Viennaâs city centre, was opened on 10th May 1977 under the name âWeststadionâ with a match against FK Magna. The stadium was the successor to the legendary âPfarrwieseâ. The stadium construction project was handed to the long-serving and commendable Rapid captain Gerhard Hanappi, who had moved into the field of architecture following his career as a professional footballer. A few years later and Hanappi had planned Rapidâs new home with a capacity of 19,600 by order of the city of Vienna. It was a classic stadium, which still to this day is home to a unique atmosphere thanks to the wonderful fans that pack in match after match. The Weststadion was renamed the Hanappi Stadion following the death of Hanappi in 1980 from lymphoma.
The MatchDate: 19th of July, 2009
19:15 o'clock (time isn't fixed yet)
Ernst Happel-Stadion(Praterstadion until 1992, sometimes also called Wienerstadion) in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna, is the largest stadium in Austria. It was built between 1929 and 1931 for the second Workers' Olympiad to the design of German architect Otto Ernst Schweizer. The stadium was renamed in honour of Ernst Happel following his death in 1992. The stadium was host to seven games in UEFA Euro 2008, including the final which saw Spain triumph over Germany. It also served as a Holocaust prison during World War II.
Interesting they are playing the game at the Ernst Happel-Stadion, and not at their home ground.
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