Horn vs Sturm Graz II: A Match of Surprises and Drama
Horn – Sturm Graz II 2:2. Ah, the thrill of the game! Or is it the dread of mediocrity? Since their tidy 1-0 victory over Liefering on September 22nd, Horn seems to have mastered the art of waiting… waiting for a win, that is. With all the swagger of a catwalk model afraid of a puddle, they skulked onto the pitch. Meanwhile, Sturm Graz II brought the kind of energy that could power a small, European nation—eager to run, strong in combat, and more playful than a puppy in a room full of bouncing balls.
First Half: Sturm Graz II Hits Early
The Graz team wasted no time in making their intentions clear. Just five minutes in, a corner taken by Manprit Sakaria, yes, the one demoted from professional ranks—clearly, they don’t hold grudges in Austrian football—was hit with all the sharpness of a sushi chef dealing with an onion. The ball bounced back to him faster than your enthusiastic mate after a shot, and he slotted it home. 1-0 for Sturm II, and Matteo Hotop in the Horn goal could only watch with that look we’ve all had when we realize that, ‘oops, I’ve dropped my phone in the toilet!’
The onslaught continued. Leon Grgic nearly made it two, but Hotop had sharper reflexes than a cat on a hot tin roof. Just ten minutes in and Horn was starting to look as useful as a chocolate teapot. Great chances abounded for Graz, but they were about as effective as a fork in a soup: plenty of effort but ultimately no goal.
The Rise of Horn (Out of Nowhere)
Then came the unexpected twist: Horn, who had spent 23 minutes playing a riveting game of “let’s not bother the other side,” suddenly leveled the score. It was as if Paul Lipczinski had emerged from the shadows, channeling every underdog movie ever. A mistake from Sturm during their build-up play allowed Lipczinski to send one crashing in—well, sort of. Let’s just say that Bignetti, the usually-reliable Graz keeper, helped his fellow competitors by dabbling in some unintentional comedy. 1-1, and we’ve got a match!
Second Half: Sturm’s Mini Panic Attack
Fast forward to the second half, where Graz, perhaps shaken by the equalizer, came out with guns blazing—like a dog that’s just spotted a squirrel. And voila! Just nine minutes in, Grgic found the net again, restoring the lead with a cheeky shot after some apparent defensive chaos from Horn. It was like watching a romantic comedy: you know someone’s going to trip over their shoelaces, but you keep watching anyway.
Alas, Horn was quieter than a mime at a pottery class for a significant portion of the half. There was a glimmer of hope when there was some jersey tugging on Din Barlov—though it must be noted that the ref played the spoilsport, allowing the game to continue. After all, what’s football without a bit of controversy?
Drama Near the End
As the clock ticked toward the end, excitement—yes, actual excitement—burst forth. Dragan Marceta had a golden chance but somehow managed to miss the target from just in front of an empty goal! You could hear the gasps, the collective “did he just do that?” echoing around the modest 301 spectators—who may have just been there for the nachos.
But hold onto your hats; the climax was still unfurling. In the sixth minute of injury time (they *added* two, folks, but like any good night out, it seems no one wanted to go home), Horn struck gold! Stosic barely cleared an incoming header, but there was Barlov, like a superhero at the last minute, to finish it. 2-2, and it was all a bit dramatic for a mid-table bout between two teams not lighting the league on fire!
Final Thoughts
In the end, it was a mosaic of mistakes, laughable moments, and more excitement than one would expect from a couple of teams seemingly destined for mid-table mediocrity. With Horn seemingly allergic to wins and Sturm revealing that perhaps their defense needed a bit more polish than they care to admit, this was a game that ticked all the boxes for drama—but, unfortunately, not for brilliance. That’s football, folks! Always unexpected, occasionally cringe-worthy, but utterly captivating.
Statistics Snapshot:
- Match Result: SV Horn 2, SK Sturm Graz II 2
- Goals: Sarkaria (5′), Lipczinski (23′), Grgic (54′), Barlov (90+6′)
- Yellow Cards: A smorgasbord of cards—11 in total, almost enough for a game of Rummy!
And what a game it was! Football, a beautiful game, full of surprises, laughs, and plenty of opportunities to shake your head.
Horn – Sturm Graz II 2:2. Since the 1-0 win at Liefering on September 22nd, the Waldviertlers have not been at their best – and Horn still has to wait for a win. The initial phase clearly belonged to the guests. The Graz team presented themselves as eager to run, strong in combat and playful, won pretty much every ball and put Horn under a lot of pressure from the start.
The lead after five minutes of the game was symbolic: Manprit Sakaria, who had been relegated from the Sturm professionals to the amateurs, played a corner sharp and flat in the middle, the ball came back to the incoming striker again. Sakaria shot into the short corner, surprising Matteo Hotop in the Horner box and making it 1-0 for Sturm II.
In the next scene, the next chance for the Styrians: Pass to Leon Grgic in the interface, who immediately took the shot, Hotop just parried (7th). In the tenth minute, Jacob Hödl tried to head from a good distance, but the ball went straight into Hotop’s arms. Another three minutes later, the next top opportunity for the guests: Nikola Stosic sent an ideal pass to Peter Kiedl, who saw that Hotop was standing a little in front of his goal, but also went over the Horn goal when attempting to score. Storm on the constant press, so to speak.
Balance from nothing
Horn? There was nothing to be seen offensively up to that point, the Waldviertlers barely even got over the center line for a long time. The sudden equalizer in the 23rd minute was all the more surprising: Sturm made a mistake during the build-up and then things happened quickly. As if out of nowhere, Paul Lipczinksi ran towards the storm goal and was lucky when he completed his central shot – keeper Matteo Bignetti hit the ball into the goal himself – 1:1.
From then on the game was more evenly balanced; Sturm had lost his initial momentum. So there was still a chance in the first half: a Lipczinski shot was blocked at the last moment (35′), while on the other side a Hödl shot flew just past the goal (45′).
The second section began similarly to the first, with Sturm being the more active team. Nine minutes had been played and the people of Graz were cheering again. After a throw-in, the assignment in Horn’s defense wasn’t right, Hödl took the shot, Hotop drained it and Grgic took the lead to take the lead again.
Horn was hardly visible offensively for a long time in the second half. There was a brief excitement in the 73rd minute after Oliver Sorg pulled on Din Barlov’s jersey, but that wasn’t enough for referee Daniel Pfister.
It wasn’t until the final minutes that the game really picked up speed again. While an Abdijanovic header (79th) and a deflected shot from Antonio Ilic on the counter-attack remained the best results for the time being, events came to a head in stoppage time.
Dramatic final phase
First, Dragan Marceta missed a great opportunity for Horner. In the 93rd minute, a corner was extended to the second post and Marceta headed the ball over the empty goal from close range. In the sixth minute of injury time – five were indicated – the Waldviertel team managed to equalize. Stosic initially pushed away an Abdijanovic header in front of the line, then Barlov got to the ball and chased it right into the corner of the cross – 2-2 (96th), final whistle.
Statistics:
SV HORN – SK STURM GRAZ II 2:2 (1:1).
Torfolge: 0:1 (5th) Sarkaria, 1:1 (23rd) Lipczinski, 1:2 (54th) Grgic, 2:2 (90+6th) Barlov.
Yellow cards: Wimhofer (50th foul), Zinkel (73rd criticism), Gobara (75th unsportsmanlike conduct), Coco (77th foul), Aliji (81st unsportsmanlike conduct), Velimirovic (88th foul); Sorg (33rd unsportsmanlike conduct), Haider (51st criticism), Mustafic (65th unsportsmanlike conduct), Hödl (81st unsportsmanlike conduct), Schopp (85th unsportsmanlike conduct), Bignetti (90+6th criticism).
SV Horn: Hotop; Wimhofer (61. Marceta), Gobara, Syhre, Milosavljevic (61. Aliji); Velimirovicpeasant enemy; Ismailcebioglu (76th Coco), Fischerauer (37th Barlov), Lipczsinski; Abdijanovic.
SK STURM GRAZ II: Bignetti; Schopp, Stosic, Sorg, Mustafic; Kern (74. Afrifa), Kiedl (61. Beganovic), Haider, Grgic; HödlSarkaria.
Sparkasse Horn Arena, 301 spectators, referee: Daniel Pfister.
