It was a crazy cup evening when SV Guntamatic Ried lost 1:3 (1:3) to Sturm Graz in front of 5800 spectators. The Styrian team was leading 3:0 after 44 minutes, and yet Sturm’s sports director Andreas Schicker said at halftime: “We got away with just a black eye.”
Especially in the first half hour, only SV Ried could be seen, demanding everything from the reigning champions and cup winners, before a controversial key scene after 23 minutes turned the match around:
The video assistant referee (VAR) is often criticized – this time the Innviertel team really needed it for the 0-1. When a corner from Tomi Horvat went straight into the empty goal, Ried goalkeeper Andreas Leitner was lying on the ground. It was clear on TV that Sturm’s Mika Biereth had pulled his shirt before he slipped and was unable to intervene. However, because there is no VAR in the second round of the ÖFB Cup, no one could appeal. This also broke the Ried keeper’s goal ban after 851 minutes. The Innviertel team did not give up even after Seedy Jatta’s double strike to make it 0-2 and 0-3 (32nd/44th). Bumberger scored before the break to make it 1-3. After the break, SV Ried took advantage of the lack of VAR: Sturm’s Seedy Jatta’s red card was completely excessive (60th). In a scuffle, the Sturm player clashed with several Ried players. Despite their superiority, Ried was unable to catch up.
Image: GEPA pictures/ Thomas Fuernholzer
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Image: GEPA pictures/ Thomas Fuernholzer
FC Blau-Weiß Linz also had trouble in the 0:1 (0:1) defeat against regional league team FC Hertha Wels. The 2550 spectators were treated to a 90-minute battle. Conor Noß put Blau-Weiß in the lead after just 15 minutes. He was then unlucky when a shot hit the post. The match remained exciting until the end. It developed into an open exchange of blows, in which the underdog from Wels also had its chances to equalize. In any case, they made life much more difficult for Bundesliga team Blau-Weiß than they did for SK Rapid last Sunday.
