LASK loses against Sturm

In his 102nd competitive match for LASK, Sascha Horvath led the team onto the field as captain for the first time. Besides the still-injured Robert Zulj, Philipp Ziereis also had to sit out due to injury. George Bello replaced him in the team, while Andres Andrade returned to his usual position in the back three.

The game initially featured the expected high intensity, with many duels and transition situations, although the Graz team demonstrated a much better ability to convert these into scoring opportunities. This was evident, for example, in the 18th minute when Mika Biereth, following a quick counterattack by the home team, was thwarted by Tobias Lawal's foot save. Seconds later, he failed to put the ball into the net from close range after a corner.

In contrast, Alexander Prass found the net for Graz just a minute later, shooting from nearly 16 meters out after a short header clearance by Maksym Talovierov (20th minute). Another counterattack almost led to another goal after half an hour, but William Boving pushed the ball wide of the far post. LASK's best chance for an equalizer came in stoppage time: Filip Stojkovic set up Elias Havel, who took a shot on the turn but hit Sturm's goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros instead.

At halftime, head coach Thomas Sageder made his first substitution, bringing on Valon Berisha for Marin Ljubicic, which pushed Horvath into a more advanced position. In the 59th minute, Horvath initiated a fast dribble but ultimately missed the target with his subsequent shot attempt. However, Lawal thwarted Biereth once again in the ensuing play after a long ball, and seven minutes later, our goalkeeper was on point against Otar Kiteishvili.

Nevertheless, LASK didn't give up and sought to prevent their first defeat in the Bundesliga championship group at all costs. In the 73rd minute, they had a prime opportunity: Havel found Moses Usor, who attempted to finish one-on-one against Jaros with his first touch, but his effort lacked precision. Florian Flecker also missed a potential goal with his volley being too high (79th minute). Consequently, the match ended with LASK's first loss in the championship group and their first away defeat in five games.

SK Sturm Graz - LASK 1:0 (1:0)
Goals: 1:0 Prass (20.)
Yellow Cards: Affengruber (71.); Usor (35.), Jovicic (86.)

LASK lineup: Lawal – Talovierov, Andrade, Luckeneder – Stojkovic (61. Flecker), Horvath (C/61. Pintor), Jovicic (88. Taoui), Bello (88. Ba) – Usor, Ljubicic (46. Berisha), Havel