Adrian Lechl (right) from Lüsen, like his Innsbruck colleagues, delivered a strong performance. © APA / EXPA/JOHANN GRODER

Two South Tyroleans involved: Wacker Innsbruck's dream bursts late

Rapid Vienna barely prevailed in the traditional duel with Wacker Innsbruck and is now in the second round of the ÖFB Cup. One scene caused a stir.

July 27, 2025

From: det

Wacker Innsbruck vs. Rapid Vienna – This duel electrified Austrian football on Sunday. For the first time in a long time, the two traditional clubs faced off. And in the end, the favorite prevailed: In Innsbruck's Tivoli Stadium, which was sold out for the first time in 15 years, Bundesliga club Rapid Vienna narrowly prevailed against the North Tyrolean third-division club 1-0.

Wacker Innsbruck boasts two South Tyroleans in its squad: Fabian Lantschner (who forms the coaching duo with Sebastian Siller) and striker Adrian Lechl (who played the entire match on Sunday). They could be proud of their performance at the Tivoli Stadium, as Wacker fought heroically and only conceded a goal in the 78th minute, making it 0-1. Bendeguz Bolla fired home with a thunderous free kick from 20 meters.

A controversial decision

However, shortly before the end, things heated up. Innsbruck's Okan Yilmaz scored what appeared to be the equalizer, but referee Stefan Macanovic disallowed the goal due to what he perceived as a foul by the goalscorer on Jonas Auer (89th minute). A highly controversial decision, which drew boos and whistles from the stands after the match. Peter Stöger, the coach of Rapid Vienna, said in an interview with ORF: "If the match continues there, we can't say anything."

The Wacker fans presented a fantastic choreography. © APA / EXPA/JOHANN GRODER

Nevertheless, the duel in Innsbruck has triggered a huge hype. "There's a state of emergency here," said Natzer Fabian Lantschner before the match. Approximately 1.000 of the approximately 16.000 fans in the sold-out Tivoli Stadium came from South Tyrol.