Incoming Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni last night saw his SV Salzburg side hammered 7-0 at home by their Austrian Bundesliga title rivals Rapid Vienna.
The result means the race for the Austrian league title was thrown dramatically open as Rapid Vienna took over at the top of the standings.
It was the biggest defeat for Austria's richest side since the club's takeover in 2005 by soft drink billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz and the worst ever for Trapattoni.
'It was not a defeat, it was a catastrophe,' said the former Juventus, Bayern Munich and Italy coach, who is due to take over as Ireland manager in May.
'I have never let in seven goals in 40 years as a professional -- neither as a player nor a trainer.
'All the papers were talking this week about it being the game of the year, and it clearly got to the players,' Trapattoni told Austrian news agency APA. 'We were not physically, but mentally and organisationally weak.'
After becoming only the second team to win at Salzburg this season, Rapid now lead the standings by a single point from Salzburg with five matches remaining.
'One point is not a big margin for Rapid,' Trapattoni insisted. 'We were favourites up until today, but we still have a chance to win the title.'
Rapid's victory has ensured that three teams are still in with a realistic chance of clinching the championship, with Linz a point behind Salzburg.
