LASK Falls to Sturm in 2-4 Defeat

Five new players entered the starting lineup for LASK compared to their 2-1 victory over WSG Tirol the previous week. Among them were Melayro Bogarde as right-back, as well as Modou Keba Cisse and Jerome Boateng in central defense. Philipp Ziereis and Branko Jovicic were suspended, Hrvoje Smolcic was sidelined with an injury, while Florian Flecker, Krystof Danek, and Sascha Horvath were unavailable due to illness.

League leaders Sturm took control early on, while LASK aimed to keep the spaces tight and limit the opponent’s pace and attacking danger. Ivan Ljubic frequently dropped into the defensive line when out of possession to support this strategy.

As a result, clear-cut chances were initially scarce until the hosts took the lead with a long-range effort. Tomi Horvat struck from around 18 meters, and his deflected shot looped past the helpless Tobias Lawal into the net (31'). While Graz created two more promising opportunities before halftime, LASK remained ineffective going forward, often losing possession too quickly after winning the ball back.

The second half started with an immediate setback for LASK. Just seconds after the restart, Otar Kiteishvili was brought down in the box, and following a VAR review, the fouled player himself converted the penalty to put Sturm 2-0 ahead. With the two-goal cushion, the hosts maintained their pressure, and only some key saves from Tobias Lawal prevented a larger deficit.

However, hope was reignited in the 67th minute when Dimitri Lavalee fouled Samuel Adeniran on his way toward goal. The referee immediately deemed it a last-man foul and sent the Sturm defender off. LASK seized the momentum and created two good chances—first, substitute Christoph Lang narrowly missed (75’), and moments later, Lenny Pintor was denied by goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen. Just two minutes later, LASK found the net: a corner from Zulj was cleverly flicked in by Modou Keba Cisse with his heel for 1-2, marking the young defender’s first Bundesliga goal.

The final minutes were chaotic. William Böving restored Sturm’s two-goal lead with another deflected shot (84’), but within seconds, Zulj responded with a long-range strike to make it 2-3 (85’). LASK nearly found the equalizer in stoppage time, but a last-minute penalty for Sturm sealed their fate—Böving converted for 4-2 (96’), securing the home side’s win. With this first defeat in six Bundesliga matches this spring, LASK now faces relegation group play for the second time in seven years.

SK Sturm Graz – LASK 4:2 (1:0)
Merkur Arena, 15.017, Referee Christopher Jäger
Goals: 1:0 Horvat (31.), 2:0 Kiteishvili (50./E.), 2:1 Cisse (77.), 3:1 Boeving (84.), 3:2 Zulj (85.), 4:2 Boeving (96./E.)
Yellow Cards: Boateng, Bello
Red Card: Lavalee (67.)

Line-up LASK: Lawal (K) – Bogarde, Boateng (89. Midzic), Cisse, Bello – Coulibaly (74. Lang), Ljubic (93. Tchicamboud) – Zulj, Berisha – Entrup, Adeniran (74. Pintor)