Humorous goal propels Storm to Derby victory.
In a closely contested derby match, Sturm Graz emerged victorious against GAK, securing a 3-0 win in the Merkur Arena. The victory temporarily propelled Sturm into third place in the Austrian league.
The first half ended with a 0-0 stalemate, but the second half saw a flurry of goals from Sturm. The opening goal came in the 64th minute, courtesy of Tomi Horvat, following a win by Hoel and a slight deflection off Slovenian defender Vraa.
Tomi Horvat was not done yet, as he added another goal in the 58th minute, testing Meierhofer after a powerful shot. The second half was dominated by Sturm, who created numerous chances and kept GAK's defence under constant pressure.
The third and final goal was scored by Seedy Jatta in the 96th minute, completing his brace with a rebound after a save by Meierhofer from a shot by substitute Belmin Beganovic.
GAK, who had promoted last season, struggled to find their footing against the more experienced Sturm side. Their last victory over their city rivals was way back in November 2006. After six competitive games this season, GAK remains winless and has already been eliminated from the cup.
Sturm Graz was without the departing offensive player William Boving, who had signed a four-year contract with Mainz 05, effective from 2029. Leon Grgic and Tim Oermann replaced Boving and Arjan Malic in the Sturm Graz lineup. Sturm's captain Jon Gorenc Stankovic was also forced to leave the game due to a shoulder injury after a collision with his goalkeeper.
Lukas Graf started in the defence centre for GAK in place of Pines, who was unavailable due to stomach problems. Tobias Koch fouled Grgic from behind and was shown a red card in the 80th minute. Tio Cipot forced Christensen to a save with a strong shot in the 48th minute, but GAK missed a chance to equalize when captain Daniel Maderner headed wide in the 47th minute.
The match was attended by 16,400 spectators, who witnessed a dominant performance from Sturm Graz. The team of former Sturm defender Ferdinand Feldhofer has drawn three games in the league, reflecting the challenges they face in adapting to the new season.
Sturm's sports manager, Michael Parensen, stated that Boving was not mentally ready for the derby. The defeat leaves GAK with much to ponder as they look to turn their fortunes around in the upcoming games.
