There is not much time for the Violets to look back. On Saturday evening a young Austria side pushed SK Rapid Wien at the Wörthersee Stadion, and on Tuesday it is already about important points in the Regionalliga Süd once again. There are just three days in between — and yet plenty the team can take away from that cup night.

First and foremost Tristan Schoppitsch. The 19-year-old produced the moments against the Bundesliga club that the 3,350 spectators are likely to remember for quite some time. First he struck a stunning long-range effort to make it 1-1, then, immediately after the break, he delicately lifted the ball over Rapid goalkeeper Paul Gartler for 2-2.

Two dream goals which in the end were not enough to progress, but which symbolised the performance of an Austria side that refused to hide against the favourites for long spells.

Austria kept the game open until the 60th minute before Rapid ultimately came through. For the Violets the journey in the UNIQA ÖFB Cup came to an end, but the display also offered plenty to build on for the tasks ahead.

Looking at the age of the team in particular makes the performance remarkable. In the closing stages numerous young players were on the pitch for Austria.

“We played almost on equal terms for 60 minutes with a team that was top of the Bundesliga until a few days ago. When you consider that seven or eight players aged 18 were on the pitch against Rapid Wien at the end, you can and must be satisfied. That confirms us in our path and shows that the lads really do have the potential for more,” says Zeljko Karajica.

But the Violets cannot dwell on the cup night for long. The next task is already waiting on Tuesday, which puts the Regionalliga back in the spotlight.

The focus is already on Velden

At 7:00 pm Austria travel to ATUS Velden. The opponents are very familiar to the Violets: the two sides already met this season in the first round of the UNIQA ÖFB Cup. Back then Austria won 2-1 away from home.

After Treibach's defeat, the Violets now have the chance to take the next step towards the top of the table. That is why, immediately after the Rapid game, it was clear to Matthias Dollinger where the focus lies.

“On Tuesday we're up against Velden again. We know them from the cup. We want to win again, take the three points and go into the Regionalliga as leaders. You can take a lot from a game like the one against Rapid,” says Matthias Dollinger.

Tuesday's task, however, will be a completely different one to Saturday evening. Against the Bundesliga side Austria were repeatedly able to create danger out of a compact shape. In Velden the roles are likely to be reversed.

Matthias Dollinger has that in his sights as well:

“Tuesday against Velden will be hard enough. It will be a completely different game. Velden will probably sit back the way we did against Rapid, and we have to show that we can handle that just as well,” says Matthias Dollinger.

So just three days after the big cup night, everyday league business is back. And it brings an appealing scenario for the Violets: with a win in Velden, Austria could go top of the table.