The heroes of the Sturm Graz Cup 2018 – where are they now?

Less than three years have passed since SK Sturm Graz defeated FC Red Bull Salzburg 1-0 after extra time in the 2018 Cup final.

However, this final has enjoyed a unique selling point in the last eight years. After all, since 2013 (Master Austria, Pasching Cup winner) is the only title that the Austrian dominator has failed to conquer.

The “Bulls” have won 45 of the last 46 Cup games, this was the only loss.

Also, there is much in the rear view mirror that illustrates the fluctuation of staff in the House of Lords at home. Before they meet again in Klagenfurt, this time in the semi-finals (Wednesday, 21:05 in the LIVE ticker), the squads of both finalists at that time have little to do with the line-up at the time.

In Salzburg in particular, this is part of the business model. But there have also been a lot of comings and goings in Graz since 2018, for different reasons.

While one or another identifying figure has remained, most of the cup’s winning team has long been a black-and-white past. An overview of the presence of the Sturm’s Cup heroes:

ALIGNMENT OF THE 2018 CUP FINAL:

Sturm: Siebenhandl – Koch, Spendlhofer, Maresic, Potzmann – Hierländer, Jeggo, P. Zulj (122. Schoissengeyr) – Alar (118. Lovric), Röcher (102. P. Huspek), Edomwonyi (93. Jantscher)

Salzburg: C. Stankovic-Lainer, Ramalho, Caleta-Car (46. Onguene), Farkas-Yabo (99. Wolf), Samassekou, X. Schlager, Virginia. Berisha – Gulbrandsen (76. Haidara), Dabbur (83. Hwang)

AS IN THE STORM DRESS:

Two starters from the 2018 XI are also mainstays for SK Sturm this season. The winning scorer at that time. Stefan Hierländer since then he has progressed to become captain. At the time, the Carinthian set an example in the run-up to the cup final by extending their expiring Sturm contract – a sign that several regular employees, as is well known, did not follow.

Jörg Siebenhandl he was a sure source of support then as now. The veterans were replaced in the confrontation against the “policemen” Jakob jantscher, which is currently experiencing its umpteenth spring, and Philip huspek.

Goalkeeper Tobias Schützenauer He was already sitting on the bench at the time. The substitute goalkeeper has to show patience behind Siebenhandl, most importantly his recent exclamation point against Salzburg.

CONTINUE (AGAIN) IN AUSTRIA:

The transfer summer that followed the cup win was known to be painful for Sturm. Above all, the fact that several regulars joined Bundesliga competitors, mainly the two Viennese clubs, instead of seeking happiness abroad, for example, sparked emotional debates. While this transfer window was ultimately the start of two difficult years for the Styrians, the exit from Graz also did not have the desired (sporting) effect for several players. The following members of the then management are still frolicking, or again, in Austria:

BUNDESLIGA:

Above all, a farewell lets the waves rise really high. Deni Alar As the reigning captain, he left Rapid Vienna in a hurry, where he was already active from 2011 to 2016 before his engagement to Sturm. In Hütteldorf he has remained unlucky to date and has even been parked in Bulgaria at the Levski Sofia. The goalkeeper’s contract runs until the summer of 2022. Incidentally, he has scored 41 goals in competition with Sturm in two seasons and six with Rapid since then.

as well Marvin potzmann moved to Rapid, his move had long been arranged. A year later he went to LASK, where he has now struggled to recover after a cruciate ligament tear.

The substitutes in the cup final were in the final stages Christian schoissengeyr, who subsequently moved to Austria Wien on a free transfer, as did the two regulars James Jeggo and Bright Edomwonyi (see below). The central defender, who has been plagued with injuries ever since, is still under contract with the distribution circle, but manages to survive with the Young Violets.

Thorsten RöcherAfter winning the Cup, he moved to Ingolstadt in Germany and then returned to Sturm on loan and now plays for the WAC. With Fabian Koch Another starting eleven from that time moved into the Bundesliga, that is, to WSG Tirol.

Marc-Andre Schmerböck Y Michael John Lema (both Hartbergs) were not part of the team of the day of the final.

Veteran of the Storm Christian gratzei he dusted off another title at the end of his career as a member of the management team. The longtime goalkeeper is now the goalkeeping coach at WAC.

2. LEAGUE:

In #ligazwa there are also some executives from then. In a storm I could Fabian Schubert In the end, he was unsuccessful in the current season, after 16 league matches he has 17 goals for Blau-Weiß Linz, where he has become a goal catcher.

With goalkeeper Christopher Giuliani (Kapfenberg) and Tobias Koch (Lafnitz), two youngsters have been awarded to second division clubs in Styria until the end of the season. In Lafnitz there is a lot of fun Lukas fadinger Another player who sniffed at the combat team at a young age, but was ultimately unable to reach Sturm.

as well Oliver Filip (BW Linz) and Patrick puchegger (Amstetten) kicking in the 2nd division after it didn’t go as expected in the storm.

Also in Austria, but without a club, it is Thomas schrammelwho at that time pressed the bench against Salzburg.

FOREIGN:

ÖFB LEGIONAIRS:

Several members of Sturm’s former squad are now making their money beyond Austria’s national borders. For example, the duo of central defenders at the time: Darius Maresic he was transferred to the Stade Reims in France. The moment of the Lukas Spendlhofer Sturm ended up in conflict in 2020: via Ascoli, he landed in Israel at Bnei Sachnin in winter.

Peter zulj He said goodbye to RSC Anderlecht in Belgium half a season after winning the cup, but where he finally failed to prevail. During the winter break he was awarded the Süper Lig zu Göztepe, where he has four goals after eight league games.

Sandi lovric, who entered as a substitute in the final against Salzburg, is strictly speaking no longer a legionnaire of the ÖFB, as he now plays for the Slovenian national team. At club level, the ÖFB’s former “talent of the century” has joined the Swiss club FC Lugano.

Philipp Zulechner Collect wild bets on the 2nd German Bundesliga in Erzgebirge Aue. Goalkeeper Fabian Ehmann moved to Vendsyssel FF in Denmark after his time with Aris Saloniki in the winter.

Romano Schmid He played a match on the way to cup victory before, oddly enough, he switched to the last final opponent in August 2017, but didn’t get a chance there. The 21-year-old is now a regular for Werder Bremen in the German Bundesliga.

FORMER STORM LEGIONARIES:

James jeggo Y Bright edomwonyi He made no friends in the summer of 2018 when they signed a free transfer with Austria Wien. In favorites, however, they could not follow his performance shown in the “Blackies”. Jeggo moved to Aris Saloniki in the summer of 2020, where he works regularly. Edomwonyi also currently plays in Greece, he was awarded with Atromitos Athens during the winter break.

The chapter was also in the last transfer period. Emeka Eze in a storm. The forward was handed over to Ankara Keciörengücü in Turkey.

Defense veteran Christian schulz he was on the field for every game on the way to the final in 2017/18, but was on the bench for 120 minutes in the final; returned to Hannover 96 in the summer of 2018, where he has been playing for the second team Regionalliga Nord ever since. He will finish his career in the summer.

He also came on the way to the final Charalampos Lykogiannis respectively Martin Ovenstad used, but none made it through the spring of 2018 in a storm. The former moved to Serie A in Cagliari, where he can currently be called a regular. Ovenstad has now landed in Mjondalen.

THE SPORTS TOUR:

In terms of sports leadership, a lot has happened at Sturm in the meantime. Coach tactics Heiko vogel it worked out perfectly in the final.

After the turmoil of the summer of 2018, things did not turn out as he wanted in Graz. Although his successors Roman Mählich and Nestor El Maestro could not get more out of the team than the German, who has been in charge of Borussia Mönchengladbach’s second team since the beginning of the season.

While the fans (see photo) in the hour of success of Klagenfurt could not imagine that the mandate of the Director General Sport Günter Kreissl When a storm doesn’t last “forever”, things turned out differently.

In the following transfer periods, the hand of the sports director was sometimes more unhappy, and in 2020 the marriage finally divorced. Meanwhile, Kreissl has fired the ÖFB and is responsible for the goalkeeping area.

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