2024-03-18 19:00:07
On March 31st, Salzburg and Sturm will first cross swords in the league in Graz, only four days later the two best teams in Austria will face each other in the semi-finals of the Uniqa ÖFB Cup (April 4th, 8:45 p.m., live on ORF1 and in the live stream). However, Salzburg coach Gerhard Struber did not want to attach too much importance to the league summit on Easter Sunday. “It won’t be decisive, there are still eight games after that,” emphasized the 47-year-old.
The only downside for Struber after the win against Hartberg was the poor evaluation of chances. “We could have scored one or two more goals.” His team’s task was made easier by the exclusion of Hartberg’s Ibane Bowat in the 22nd minute. “For me this decision was very clear, Bowat was the last man standing,” said Struber.
Salzburg easily defeated Hartberg
Red Bull Salzburg is still two points ahead of Sturm Graz at the top of the Bundesliga table after the first round of the championship group. Shortly after the Styrians’ victory at Austria Klagenfurt on Sunday, the defending champions easily beat TSV Hartberg 5-1 (2-0) in front of their home crowd.
Hartberg upset with referee
Hartberg coach Markus Schopp said this red card could be discussed. There were no two opinions about a scene in the ninth minute when the score was 0-0, when Fernando unintentionally but hard stepped on Jürgen Heil’s calf. According to Schopp, that was the decisive situation of the game. “There should have been red for Fernando. I’m tired of discussing such things. Too many decisions have been made against us lately, perhaps because we are just Hartberg,” criticized the 50-year-old. On Sky, Schopp said about the referees: “They don’t know their way around.”
Last week, TSV was wrongly denied a penalty against Sturm Graz, as even the league admitted in its VAR review. “If we regularly play ten against twelve, it will be difficult,” explained goalie Raphael Sallinger. “We were at a decisive disadvantage in four or five of the last six games.” Heil was also upset in the Sky interview. “If Diakite or Sangare commit fouls like Fernando’s, you can be sure that they will go off the pitch with a red card. I don’t want to demand a red at all, something like that happens in a game, but if we get a red, there has to be a red in the situation.”
Sturm engine runs like clockwork
There were fewer discussions after the clear Sturm victory on Lake Wörthersee. “Winning 4-0 here is a very strong result,” said coach Christian Ilzer. “I think it was a good announcement at the beginning of Sturm Graz’s championship group.” Mass was said after just 39 minutes, Mika Biereth (4th, 18th), Tomi Horvat (23rd) and William Böving (39th). were successful. “The first half was almost perfect. “It’s important to take this self-confidence with you,” said David Affengruber.
Once again, comparisons could be drawn to a successful team from days gone by. With currently ten goals in the first 15 minutes, only the 1997/98 strike team scored more (13). Sturm last scored three goals in the first 23 minutes in April 1998, the year the Black and Whites became champions for the first time. In addition, Arsenal loanee Biereth delivered again with a brace and has already scored eight competitive goals for Sturm. Both goals were a rather easy task for the 21-year-old Dane on Sunday.
Sturm dispatches Klagenfurt
Puntigamer Sturm Graz started the championship group with a gala. Last season’s runner-up defeated Austria Klagenfurt 4-0 away on Sunday in the 23rd round of the Admiral Bundesliga.
“Many people say I (only) score the easy goals. I always say: Why don’t you do it? That’s also a quality,” said Biereth. Ilzer praised him for his “intuition that goal getters have that you can’t teach them. Mika is very, very good for our game.” Both teams now have to try to maintain their form for two weeks. “We are in good shape. But in my experience, we usually got off to a good start after the international break,” said ÖFB team player Alexander Prass, not worried.
No respite for long-distance runners
Ilzer described the current phase as “very, very deceptive. It was my 39th game of the season, but for Jon Gorenc Stankovic it was the 45th. Having 45 games under our belt in March is a nice number.” There could be even more for Sturm’s long-running runners before the title duel, alongside Prass and the Danish U21s. Team players Böving and Biereth also face Otar Kiteishvili with Georgia in the European Championship play-offs.
“I hope that those who are on the road are successful and come back healthy. And then we have to continue in exactly the same way,” demanded Affengruber, who trained in Salzburg. According to Struber, Salzburg will be missing twelve kickers in the coming days due to national team call-ups. “I’m happy for them and hope that they come back healthy,” said the Salzburg coach.
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