0-2 Defeat To Graz In Last Game

On Saturday afternoon in Graz, Sturm and LASK, the already confirmed second and third-ranked teams of the 2022/23 season, faced each other in a final duel before the summer break. Sturm had the first chance of the game when Alexander Prass, assisted by Manprit Sarkaria, found himself alone in front of Tobias Lawal but missed the target with a shot from the outside of his foot. LASK had their first concrete attempt in the 15th minute when Florian Flecker, deployed as a right-back this time, took a shot from just under 25 meters but sent the ball too high.

The hosts took the lead in the 26th minute. Otari Kiteishvili was brought down at the edge of the box and Jusuf Gazibegovic converted the resulting free kick to make it 1-0 for Sturm. It took until the 38th minute for another dangerous moment, and once again the ball found the back of the net. This time, Alexander Prass managed to go past Florian Flecker, Moses Usor and Maksym Talovierov and delicately chipped the ball into the far corner from close range. Just before halftime, the Linzer Athletiker were awarded a promising free kick. Peter Michorl, took the shot, narrowly missing the target (44.).

The second half saw a lack of goal-scoring opportunities. LASK had more possession, but a focused Graz defense prevented clear chances. It wasn't until the 59th minute that things got more dangerous again, as Tobias Lawal made a sharp save from a tight angle to parry a well-struck free kick by Alexander Prass. On LASK's side, Moses Usor and Ibrahim Mustapha, who were subbed on ten minutes earlier, combined beautifully with a one-two pass in the 73rd minute to enter the box. Mustapha took a shot centrally in front of the goal, but it was blocked by the Graz defense.

Six minutes later, Tobias Lawal once again came up with a crucial intervention, using his fingertips to divert Bryan Teixeira's accurately aimed shot onto the right post and out for a corner. The final opportunity of the game fell to Alexander Prass from distance, but Tobias Lawal saved his shot from finding the net. Although the Linz team suffered a defeat in the last game, they can still look back on a successful season, finishing strongly and securing a place in the Europa League playoff at the end of August.

Line-Up: Lawal – Flecker, Ziereis, Talovierov, Renner – Michorl, Jovicic (62. Nakamura) – Usor (81. Radulovic), Horvath, Goiginger (62. Mustapha) – Ljubicic

Goals: Gazibegovic (27.), Prass (38.); /
Yellow Cards: Gazibegovic (73.), Schnegg (85.), Emegha (89.); Michorl (88.), Horvath (89.)
Merkur Arena, 14,800 Spectators