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Sturm Graz won the ninth round of the Bundesliga in their own stadium against WSG Tirol 1-0 on Saturday, celebrating their third consecutive competitive victory. Substitute Bekim Balaj scored the only goal of the day in the 76th minute, thus consolidating fourth place. Guests remain sixth at the table until at least Sunday.
Sturm had to fight hard for all three points, as the Tyrolese proved to be equal opponents for over an hour. There were chances on both sides in the first half. WSG goalkeeper Ferdinand Oswald was there for a header from Kevin Friesenbichler (9th), as well as a free kick from Andreas Kuen (11th) and a shot from Ivan Ljubic (12th). Oswald would have been defeated in the 21st minute, but Ljubic’s attempt missed the mark.
On the other side, Florian Rieder failed after Thanos Petsos’s Fersler squad to storm goalkeeper Jörg Siebenhandl (3rd), with a header from Kelvin Yeboah after a seven-handed uncertainty Jon Gorenc-Stankovic saved from the line. (38º). The Graz goalkeeper was also unwell at the next corner, but David Gugganig missed his head. For this, Siebenhandl was in place on a good chance of Nikolai Baden Frederiksen from an acute angle (44º).
The second half was initially dedicated to the guests. WSG let the ball and opponents run over the battered grass of the Merkur Arena and came in the 63rd minute for the next promising opportunity when recently substituted Zlatko Dedic found his master in Siebenhandl.
The local team, who started in the league for the fourth time in a row with the same starting eleven, were unrecognizable in this phase compared to the 3-1 victory a week ago in Salzburg. On defense there was one or the other wobbler, in the front game ideas were lacking. That only changed with Otar Kiteishvili’s comeback in the 60th minute after more than a month off due to injury.
The Georgian stopped Oswald in the 74th minute and started the golden goal two minutes later. In the first successful storm action after the break, the ball went through several stations and Jakob Jantscher served “Joker” Balaj, who only had to push.
With the leadership behind them, the Graz team dictated the game. Kiteishvili narrowly missed (78th), Oswald directed a shot from Balaj with the seeker’s tips over the goal line (85th). But the WSG still had a great opportunity: Dedic hit the ball free in the penalty area, but Siebenhandl was back in the post (88th).
Thus it was that the Tyrolese conceded another defeat after two victories in a row without conceding a goal. Sturm, for his part, had to admit defeat only once in the previous eleven games of the season.
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TOR in the VIDEO:
Balaj with the golden goal for Graz
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Photo: GEPA
