The first Graz football derby in 15 years had been eagerly awaited, and it did not disappoint. The Sturm fans in particular were able to cheer after the 1-0 win over city rivals GAK on Wednesday, even if the favorite struggled to get into the cup quarter-finals, as coach Christian Ilzer put it. Everything is set for the league hit on Saturday at Salzburg, who with the 6-1 win at Admira cleared another second division side in a much more sovereign manner.
Ilzer reported an “expectedly difficult game. GAK demanded everything from us, we really struggled to win this”, he said with regard to a playfully dominant, but mostly harmless performance against a consistently defending second division team in the last third. “The GAK was very compact,” explained the Styrian, “we need more concreteness and precision. The final pass was missing.” The red goal ban was only overcome once, after a long pass from Ivan Ljubic, match winner Albian Ajeti overcame GAK goalie Christoph Non (65th). “The game was difficult because we didn’t score in the first half,” said Ljubic.
Last but not least, the underdog benefited from the backdrop. “This atmosphere frees up strength, we held up really well, were physically present and made Sturm breathe,” said GAK coach Gernot Messner about the performance in the Merkur Arena, which was sold out with 15,400 spectators. “We’re happy with the performance, we see it with a smile, but we’re disappointed because we wanted to get through.” Midfielder Markus Rusek hoped for impulses for the league, in which they are currently in ninth place, eight points behind leader Horn. “When you’re carried by the crowd, you’ll gain a few meters. We don’t just have to show this physical presence against Sturm, but also in the championship.”
At the end of the game it almost got exciting again, with a free kick from GAK leader Michael Liendl, storm goalie Jörg Siebenhandl prevented extra time. “Jörg made his big appearance at the end when Liendl gave him a free kick,” Ilzer said, adding referee criticism to his praise for the goalkeeper. It wasn’t just the free-kick whistle at the end that bothered him about the referee’s whistles: “I don’t think a Styrian referee should ever referee a game like that again. Certain decisions by Mr. Harkam – that was heavy stuff for me.” On the other hand, he had praise for the fans, some of whom had worried the executive in advance. But it should remain calm on match day. “A perfect backdrop, as a city derby deserves,” said Ilzer.
Salzburg rifle festival
From Salzburg’s point of view, the resounding victory at Admira was well deserved. “I’m proud and very, very satisfied. It’s not a story that you just play down in the cup. There are separate laws. That you’re so clear and so dominant from the start is worthy of all honor,” said a happy Coach Matthias Jaissle, who rotated in several places in view of the difficult weeks, helped Lawrence Agyekum to make his starting eleven debut and continued to rotate in the second half. “We were also able to save a bit of grain for the tasks ahead. And it’s always nice to see when the guys fit in seamlessly.”
Striker Roko Simic also enjoyed minutes of play in the second half, and the Croatian used them to score his debut goal from the penalty spot (75′). Next to him Maximilian Wöber scored from a free kick (2′), Strahinja Pavlovic (26′), Benjamin Sesko (32′), Junior Adamu (41′) and Amar Dedic (65′). He saw his squad prepared for the games against Sturm, who were only two points behind them, and also at home against Chelsea on Tuesday. “I’m glad we’ve got four away games behind us. Now the really big chunks are coming. We’re well prepared and we’re on the right track.”
Source: Nachrichten
