Image: KRUGFOTO (APA)
A triumph in Salzburg was “not a pipe dream”, said storm coach Christian Ilzer before the game. He should be right.
After 27 cup successes en suite, it was again Grazer who brought Salzburg to its knees. Just like last time with the 1:0 nV in the 2019 cup final. The Styrians have been the only team that has managed this since the 2013/14 season – and now twice. Sturm can now be considered a kind of feared opponent of the “bulls”. The favorites have not won in four competitive games, two of which have been lost. “Of course it gives us self-confidence that we can stand up to such a team,” said Ilzer. “We can meet Salzburg on an equal footing in some games. But there are still 16 rounds to play.”
Sturm laid the foundations, especially in the first half, when the guests put a lot of pressure on the start in front of just 9,263 spectators, 1,600 of them in the Graz sector. Jusuf Gazibegovic, who comes from the Salzburg youth team, scored a deserved lead with a deflected shot (37′). “In the first half we had an extreme intensity, should have gotten a penalty. I was very satisfied with that,” said Ilzer, who missed the penalty when Oumar Solets bumped into Emanuel Emegha.
“I never had any doubts that we would win”
The hosts, of course, deservedly equalized thanks to an increase in performance after the first change of sides. The fact that neo-goalie Arthur Okonkwo was unhappy with Amar Dedic’s long-range shot (76th) should iron out the Arsenal loan in the penalty shoot-out. “There’s no question he has to keep the 1-1 lead, but he did other things well and exuded great calm,” Ilzer defended Jörg Siebenhandl’s successor.
In the “finale grande” Sturm’s starting scorer Manprit Sarkaria failed at Philipp Köhn, before Okonkwo made it exciting again with a save at a – weak – attempt by Maurit Kjaergaard. So exciting that Salzburg’s Nicolas Capaldo chased the ball over the goal on the sixth try and sealed the end. “I always felt that we were mentally determined. I never had any doubts that we would win the game,” said Ilzer.
For his Salzburg counterpart Matthias Jaissle it was one of the rare disappointments in the coaching career. “Huge” she was, explained the German. “But we have to look ahead. There were enough key moments, especially in the penalty area,” he said, not least after the missed opportunities. “In the first half we weren’t 100 per cent, but then we were able to flip the switch. Our dominance was noticeable.”
Whether the triumph is a sign of the championship remains to be seen. After 16 of 22 rounds, Sturm is six points behind the leader, direct duels are only on the program again in the master group and thus after the points have been shared. And even if the home fans may lack the imagination after nine series titles for Salzburg en suite: The game on Friday also provided a touch of excitement in this regard.
“I hope not,” said Jaissle when asked about the possibility of a mental “crack” in his players’ heads. “We have an extremely young squad. Of course there’s a lot going through our heads. But it’s a huge learning process for the boys, they should do that too. Then I’m confident that we’ll achieve our goal, the championship.” In any case, the veteran Andreas Ulmer, who came on as a substitute in the second half and at 37 is three years older than Jaissle, saw “no reason to hang his head. Because Sturm didn’t rule us.”
Source: Nachrichten
