Austria: Danube Dragons stay unbeaten with 21-6 win over Swarco Raiders Tirol

The Danube Dragons improved to 4-0 in the Austrian Football League with a solid 21-6 victory against the Swarco Raiders Tirol (0-3) in Innsbruck this past weekend. This matchup marked the Raiders’ first home game of the season at the American Football Center Innsbruck, following a postponed opener due to weather. Despite the loss, the Raiders showed promise after a close contest in their earlier meeting this season.

Defensive battle in the first half
Both teams started the game with strong defensive efforts, resulting in a scoreless first quarter. The Dragons’ quarterback Walter Kuhlenkamp eventually broke the deadlock, connecting with Uzay Nafile for the first touchdown, putting the Dragons up 7-0. The Raiders responded with a excellent kickoff return from Lorenz Kriwak and two interceptions by David Stark and Raphael Stauder. However, a nullified touchdown and a failed fourth-down attempt limited them to just a field goal by Kriwak, leaving the score at 7-3 at halftime.

Dragons pull away in the second half
The second half saw Danube maintain their momentum. Kuhlenkamp continued to find success with deep passes, connecting with Samuel Imarhiagbe for another touchdown, extending the lead to 14-3. Kriwak added another field goal for the Raiders, narrowing the gap to 14-6. However, Nafile sealed the game with his second touchdown in the final quarter, bringing the score to 21-6.

Both head coaches acknowledged the need for improvement, with the Dragons looking forward to a bye week to regroup and recover.