Rapid Vienna 2 Sturm Graz 1

Some snaps from the game at the Gerhardt Hanappi Stadium in Vienna. The ground was hard to reach as we had to take a train from the city centre to Penzing and then get a tram.

None of the cheaper seats were available for the home team supporters; my attempts to have us deemed neutral fans failed. The cost was €26.

There is a small bar at the corner of the ground, which, surprisingly, wasn't full and we chatted to some locals about football - they had a great knowledge and interest in the premiership.

On the march down to the stadium we noticed a vast convoy of police vans and cars parked up. Although Austrian football has sometimes suffered from the 'British disease', this did seem to be overkill and a nice little earner for the uniformed ones.

Arriving in the ground we realised that the police justify this manpower with OTT shows of force. A handful of fans had run on to the pitch prior to the teams coming out, leading to a mass charge by helmeted officers.

The match itself was a mediocre affair and we actually missed the winning penalty as we needed to catch a late train back to Slovakia. (€11 day return).