Before the second leg in Lille

“Hope dies last for Sturm”

After the 3:0 lesson in the first leg in Graz, only a "miracle" will help Sturm in Lille

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

The 0:3 lesson in the first leg at home against Lille has opened everyone's eyes in the Sturm camp - the expectations for the Conference League round of 16 second leg in northern France on Thursday (9pm) are correspondingly realistic. Jon Gorenc-Stankovic does not want to give rise to any fantasies - but the captain does not want to rule out a miracle.

Of course, there are great unexpected moments in soccer: Just think of Liverpool's comeback in the 2005 Champions League final, when they came from 3-0 down to beat AC Milan 3-3 on penalties.

Domestic teams have also achieved historic feats, such as Rapid in the 1985 cup semi-final, when Dresden were beaten 5-0 at home after being 3-0 down away. Or Austria Salzburg, who eliminated Sporting Lisbon 3-0 at home in the 1993 UEFA Cup after going 2-0 down away from home.

We once turned around a 2:4 at Ilves-Kissat in Finland with a 3:0 at home in the Messestädte Cup.

Herbert Troger, Sturms „Vereinslexikon“

A look into the Sturm archive
However, Sturm have never managed such "miracles", as "club encyclopaedia" Dr. Herbert Troger noted with a look into his archives: "Once we turned around a 2:4 at Ilves-Kissat in Finland at home with a 3:0 in the Exhibition Cities Cup, but we have never managed three goals in a knockout phase!"

"Against Lille, we saw what it looked like from the start. Maybe we could have scored one or two goals, but in the end we weren't desperate either. Everyone saw that a miracle had to happen. But now we have to be realistic - we have to make sure we come out of the affair with honor."

Jon Gorenc-Stankovic (l.) & Co. want to sell themselves dearly in the second leg.

(Bild: REUTERS)

Nothing to give away
Despite the apparent difference in standard in the 3-0 defeat to Lille in Graz, captain Jon Gorenc-Stankovic does not want to "give the game away" prematurely: "Miracles can always happen, we have to firmly believe in them, play our best game and try everything."

"Lille were very strong in Graz, had a lot of possession, we were tired from all the running. Away from home, we have to work better against the ball. And if we manage a quick goal, maybe a penalty, we'll be back in the game. Hope dies last!"

The man with the mask
After breaking his nose for the second time, Jon will play with a mask: "I already had a broken nose once in Dortmund and had to wear a mask. This time, the mask is completely transparent and it doesn't hinder me." Maybe it will be a lucky charm!