On 21 September, one of the matches of the Europa League in football took place. Sturm (Graz) and Sporting (Lisbon) met.
Europa League
Sturm (Graz) - Sporting (Lisbon) - 1:2 (0:0)
Goal: W. Bøving (58) - V. Gyokeres (76), O. Diomande (84)
Warnings: Gazibegovic (45), David Affengruber (90+1), Paulinho (90+5).
In an exciting UEFA Europa League match at the Merkur Arena, Sturm Graz faced Sporting KP. In the first half, both teams fought for control of the game, leading to a tense and competitive encounter. In the 45th minute, Sturm Graz player J. Gazibegovic received a yellow card. Gazibegovic, which further intensified the heat of the game. At the start of the second half, it was Sturm Graz who managed to break the tie. On 58 minutes V. Boving put Sturm Graz ahead at the end of the match, which delighted their fans. However, Sporting quickly reacted by making two key substitutions. In the 62nd minute, Trinco came on in place of P. Goncalves and Mateus Reis came on in place of N. Santos. These changes energised Sporting and allowed them to regain control of the game. "Sturm Graz also made substitutions to strengthen their squad. In the 63rd minute M. Sarkaria came on in place of S. Wlodarczyk, and in the 68th minute O. Kiteishvili replaced T. Horvath.
Sporting's determination paid off in the 76th minute when V. Gökeres scored the decisive goal, leaving the Sturm Graz defence stunned. In the 84th minute, Sporting took the lead for the first time thanks to a goal by O. Diomande. With just minutes remaining in the match, Sturm Graz desperately tried to salvage a draw but could not break through the Sporting defence. Both teams utilised the remaining substitutions wisely. In the 88th minute, Sturm Graz replaced V. Boving with B. Teixeira and S. Hirlander with M. Fuseini. In an attempt to turn the tide of the match, J. Gazibegovic replaced M. Johnston in the 89th minute. As the end of the match approached, the tension increased, which led to yellow cards for D. Affengruber (Sturm Graz) and Paulinho (Sporting) in the 90th minute. However, it was too late for both teams to influence the outcome of the match and Sporting won 1-2, securing an important away win in the UEFA Europa League. This result showed the strength and resilience of the Sturm Graz team, who have a lot to think about and work on as they continue to fight.
The following matches await the opponents in the next round: Rakuv vs Sturm, Sporting vs Atalanta.
| Sturm | Sporting | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Kicks to the goal | 7 |
| 7 | Hits | 14 |
| 1 | Blocked shots | 2 |
| 3 | Penalty kicks | 12 |
| 4 | Kicks from outside the penalty box | 2 |
| 18 | Offences | 10 |
| 3 | Corner | 2 |
| 2 | Offsides | 1 |
| 38% | Ball possession | 62% |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 5 | Keeper saves | 1 |
| 332 | Total assists | 533 |
| 243 | Accurate assists | 451 |
| 73% | Accuracy of passes | 85% |