2023-12-14 22:04:26
Despite a 3-0 defeat at Sporting Lisbon, Sturm Graz is the only Austrian representative in the European Football Cup to survive the winter. The runner-up and cup winner benefited from Rakow’s simultaneous 4-0 home defeat against Atalanta Bergamo in the Europa League showdown on Thursday. Thanks to the goal difference, which was two goals better, Sturm finished third in Group D ahead of Rakow and moved to the intermediate round of the Conference League.
There the Styrians will meet a group runner-up in the Conference League in a preliminary knockout round. The draw will take place next Monday. Sturm has thus achieved the biggest international goal of the season. For the first time since the glorious Champions League era at the turn of the millennium, the black and whites are experiencing an international spring.
The kick-off in Lisbon took place with the knowledge that after five group games with four points and 4:6 goals, Sturm was only one goal ahead of the Poles, who had the same number of points. Sporting had already been confirmed as second. Before the league summit on Monday against FC Porto, coach Ruben Amorim only spared a few regular players. In Sosnowiec, 2,560 kilometers away, Atalanta’s rotary machine ran much hotter. The Italian group winners almost left a first team at home and threw five Europa League debutants into the fray.
Ilzer chose the starting eleven in the 1-0 win against Altach with five offensives, but ten days before Christmas he changed his preferred diamond formation to the Christmas tree (4-3-2-1). After just a few seconds, Sporting knocked on Kjell Scherpen’s magnificent parry through Nuno Santos, but after that Sturm delivered a prudent opening phase, especially defensively.
Dimitri Lavalee, who formed the central defense together with David Affengruber in the absence of the injured Gregory Wüthrich, also appeared offensively in the 27th minute. The Belgian’s header from Tomi Horvat’s cross lacked emphasis. It should be the guests’ only serious chance. Almost at the same time, the second piece of good news came from Poland, where Atalanta led 2-0 with goals from Luis Muriel (14th) and Giovanni Bonfanit (26th). The Graz cushion grew to three goals.
Sporting were vastly superior in terms of play, played twice as many passes as Sturm and launched a final offensive in the first half. After a one-two and a step-over, Matheus Reis tore open the defense and served Gyökeres, who was lurking in the middle (39′). The cheering in the sparsely attended Jose Alvalade had not yet died down when the goalscorer almost made it 2-0. The Swedish team striker failed to hit the post with his header. Daniel Braganca made a hole in the possible follow-up shot.
It was still a razor-sharp dance for Sturm at half-time. Gyökeres remained in the dressing room with two colleagues, and Sporting seemed to exercise leniency. However, the Graz team showed themselves to be vulnerable when it came to corners. Manprit Sarkaria deflected an already unpleasant header from Goncalo Inacio, who was positioned at the first post, with the top of his head (60th). Ten minutes later, Sebastian Coates had sole control of the air and Inaciao maneuvered the pole header over the line.
The cold-warm in the snail race continued. Muriel increased the score to 3-0 for the guests in Sosnowiec (72′). Sturm seemed to be knocked out, almost just running after defensive changes and was unable to find playful solutions. There was no final offensive. They didn’t have to that day because the Italians even followed it up with a 4-0 win.
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