SK Sturm Graz held up well against the Italian top team Atalanta Bergamo for long stretches on the fourth matchday of the Europa League, but ultimately had to admit defeat 0-1 (match report >>>).
This marked the third defeat in the last four games for the “Blackies”, and critical voices are already talking about a small “results crisis”.
But head coach Christian Ilzer wants to focus on the positive after losing two competitive games en suite for the first time in the 2023/24 season: “It was a narrow defeat with a good first half. It’s a lot that we’re aiming for have worked,” says Ilzer, referring to his team’s sparkling defensive performance in the first 45 minutes.
Italians more aggressive after the break
After this, however, “La Dea” came out of the locker room as if changed, acted a lot more aggressively and was soon rewarded with the golden goal of the evening when Djimsiti shot into the top right corner after a corner.
This one goal was ultimately enough to prevail against Graz, who were too harmless offensively. The “Blackies” didn’t manage a single shot at Atalanta’s goal in 90 minutes, and they didn’t score a goal away from home for the first time in a year. In the “Sky” interview after the game, Ilzer investigates the causes:
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2023-11-09 22:56:08
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