published: thursday 28 november 2013, 20.50cet sk rapid wien 2-1 fc thun
branko bošković's strike set zoran barisic's side up for a straight battle with fc dynamo kyiv for second place in group g on matchday six.
sk rapid wien will play fc dynamo kyiv for a place in the uefa europa league round of 32 after removing fc thun from the group g equation with a 2-1 win in the austrian capital.
having taken a first-half lead through terrence boyd, zoran barisic's side recovered their composure after conceding an equaliser just past the hour, with branko bošković scoring after determined work from guido burgstaller. the victory leaves rapid third in the section, but they will dislodge dynamo from second spot with a win in kyiv on matchday six.
with light snowfall at kick-off, the footballing temperature was relatively low in the first half, boyd presented with a gift-horse finish from what was the only meaningful chance of the opening period. thun goalkeeper guillaume faivre failed to get a clean contact with marcel sabitzer's cross from the left, with the unmarked boyd stabbing the ball across the line from centimetres out.
there looked to be only one winner from then on, and rapid might have pressed their advantage at the start of the second half. from a corner, both boyd and christopher dibon had shots cleared off the line, and sabitzer had faivre sprawling to make a save soon afterwards. rapid were then hit with a sucker punch by the swiss team, andreas wittwer weaving into the box and cutting a hopeful ball across which substitute berat sadik was able to bundle into the net despite being outnumbered by defenders.
ıt was a miserable goal to concede, yet rapid swiftly put things right, burgstaller pounding into the area and hooking a second ball across faivre, after a first cross was blocked, for bošković to shepherd into the net from four metres.
