Graz

Good start, guests getting stronger

The 22 actors on the pitch were greeted by a great choreography of the north curve in winter temperatures around freezing point on the green of the Liebenau stadium. A lively game developed right from the start, with both teams finding their opportunities. Tomi Horvat had the first half chance, but he didn’t hit the ball properly (5th). In the 8th minute it was Szymon Włodarczyk who had the first real opportunity of the game, but he was denied by goalkeeper Kovacevic. Seven minutes later, the guests from Poland had their first big opportunity, but striker Crnac put a dangerous cross just wide of the goal (15th). In return, it was Dimitri Lavalée who tried in the penalty area, but he missed clearly (16th). A few moments later, Sarkaria tried an angle in the penalty area, but Kovacevic saved again. In the 21st minute, Gazibegovic made a terrible mistake while building up the game, which the Poles, in the persona of Cebula, were unable to take advantage of. He missed the ball by a good half a meter in front of Scherpen. In the 29th minute, David Affengruber saved with a header just in front of the line. After that the game calmed down a bit, but the Poles’ dominance in play increased. However, there should no longer be any great scoring opportunities. A lively game ended 0-0 at the break.

Top chance for Prass, late goal conceded

The second half began as the first ended – with the Poles having field advantages. In the 50th minute, Kjell Scherpen had to intervene decisively for the first time when he defused a shot from a tight angle with his foot. After a short rest period, it was Alexander Prass who was served by Tomi Horvat in the 66th minute after a virtually perfect combination, but he was denied by goalkeeper Kovacevic’s incredibly strong parry in the visitors’ goal. The following two actions could easily have become slapstick acts. Goalie Kovacevic made a mistake twice, and both times Black and White couldn’t make anything countable (73′, 80′). Only a minute after their goalkeeper’s second uncertainty, it was the guests from Raków who scored. Carlos came through on the right, played to the middle and Joker Yeboah took the lead (81′). For the final offensive, 17-year-old homegrown Leon Grgić was brought on as a substitute. Otar Kiteishvili – who, like William Bøving, celebrated his comeback – had the last black-and-white shot in the 93rd minute, but his shot went wide to the left of the box. So it remained an extremely painful 0-1, which at the same time means that Sturm has a real final against Sporting CP in Lisbon on December 14th to stay in the European Cup. Promotion in the UEFA Europa League is no longer possible, but switching to the UEFA Conference League is.