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Johannes Hoff Thorup has dismissed concerns that Rapid Vienna’s passionate home support could weigh heavily on his players in the second leg against Hearts.
The Austrian club and Wouter Vrancken’s side played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at Tynecastle in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League play-off tie.
Hoff Thorup insists that rather than creating additional pressure, playing in front of their own fans will act as a major boost for his squad in the return fixture.
The Rapid Vienna boss was largely satisfied with his side’s first-leg performance, though he acknowledged a difficult 15-minute spell in the second half cost them dearly.
Hoff Thorup said of the first leg: “The first half was very good. We limited them and had two good chances even before our goal.”
He added: “I’m only disappointed with the 15 minutes in the second half. That’s when the momentum and the atmosphere in the stadium changed.”
Hoff Thorup also highlighted how Hearts were able to exploit Rapid’s struggles with possession during that difficult period of the match at Tynecastle.
“We didn’t move the ball well enough (in the second half). It was easy for them to steal the ball and put pressure on us,” he said.
The Rapid Vienna manager stressed that maintaining possession will be absolutely critical when crowd noise and tension rise during the second leg.
Hoff Thorup stated plainly: “Especially when there’s pressure from the stands, you have to keep possession of the ball.”
Rapid captain Matthias Seidl also weighed in on the tie, offering a candid assessment of the quality that Hearts brought to the encounter at Tynecastle.
Seidl said: “Our opponents are very high quality. We didn’t start too badly. After the break, they were really strong.”
The 2-2 scoreline leaves the tie delicately poised, with both clubs knowing that the second leg will determine who advances to the Conference League play-off round.
Hearts will be confident heading into the away fixture, having shown the ability to fight back and match one of Austria’s biggest clubs on their own terms.
Rapid Vienna, meanwhile, will be buoyed by home advantage and the belief that their supporters can drive them over the line against Vrancken’s Jambos.
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