Dundee United earn a gutsy draw in Vienna

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Rapid Vienna 2 - 2 Dundee United 

Dundee United kept their Uefa Conference League hopes alive with gutsy display.

Author | Alan White

Stadium | Allianz Stadion

Rapid Vienna v Dundee United
View from the stands in Vienna

They twice came back from behind to secure an impressive draw in the Austrian capital. Summer signings Max Watters and Zac Sapsford found the net as United stood firm against one of last season’s quarter-finalists.

Already hampered by injuries, they suffered another setback when Isaac Pappoe was forced off early, and endured sustained pressure from the hosts in a raucous Allianz Stadion. Yet they rose to the occasion and will return to Tannadice with a play-off place still very much within reach.

A closer look at what happened

After a disciplined start, Dundee United fell behind when Petter Nosakhare Dahl drifted past Vicko Sevelj to meet a whipped Bendeguz Bolla cross and sidefoot Rapid into the lead.

United refused to be rattled and responded with determination, Sapsford driving down the left before cutting back for Watters to equalise, sparking jubilant celebrations among the travelling support.

Dundee United players celebrate a goal in Vienna

Yevhen Kucherenko dealt calmly with a flurry of late first-half chances from the hosts, but another Bolla delivery deflected kindly into the path of Matthias Seidl, who drilled low into the bottom corner.

READ MORE | Latest UEFA Conference League match reports and stories

Goodwin had urged his players to be brave and keep themselves in contention for next Thursday’s return leg, and the second-half performance matched his words. 

Kucherenko then denied Andrija Radulovic’s effort, clawed away a close-range header and stood tall to block Dahl in a one-on-one.

United’s resilience held, and Sapsford levelled again, latching on to Ivan Dolcek’s looping pass and driving his shot across Niklas Hedl. Heroic late interventions from Will Ferry and Craig Sibbald kept Rapid at bay, and an injury-time header for the hosts was chalked off for offside.

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