Legends remember
When Sturm slowed down the locomotive from Leipzig
Sturm and Leipzig? There was something. Actually, 41 years ago. In the winter of 1983, the Blacks faced Lok Leipzig in the UEFA Cup round of 16 and pulled off a minor soccer miracle against the top team from what was then East Germany. Sturm historian Herbert Troger, former coach Robert Pflug and player legend Walter Hörmann remember...
In the winter of 1983, Sturm reached the UEFA Cup round of 16, surprisingly knocking Hellas Verona out of the competition with a 2:2 draw in Italy in October. Cult footballer Gernot Jurtin caused great celebration with a dream goal.
In November, Lok Leipzig came to Graz. A clever GDR team. "And of course the favorite against us again. Just like every team in the competition back then," recalls Sturm legend Walter Hörmann. But Sturm surprised in the first leg. "We won 2:0. Both goals were scored by Gernot Jurtin," recalls "tactics expert" Robert Pflug, who, together with Gernot Fraydl, gave the Black & Whites a boost as a coaching duo.
A trip to the GDR
"It was a great Sturm team with many Styrians such as Andy Pichler, Mandi Steiner, Gernot Jurtin, Walter Hörmann and Heinz Thonhofer," enthuses Pflug about Sturm's Eurofighters of the 1980s. "The fact that we also overcame the Leipzig hurdle was surprising. The fact that we then even reached the quarter-finals against Nottingham and almost progressed against this top team was even more so." But before that, Leipzig had to be beaten away in what was then East Germany.
"It snowed in Leipzig. The game took place in December on snowy ground," Sturm lexicon Herbert Troger says as if shot from a pistol. "The governor at the time, Joschi Krainer, even flew to the game with some fans. But because it was snowing, the plane had to land in East Berlin and the governor and supporters were taken to Leipzig on a bus with a police escort," says Troger. "The second leg in Leipzig was then a real defensive battle!"
Memories of that time
Walter Hörmann remembers: "Walter Saria had a stellar day in goal. He dived from one corner to the next. And we still conceded a goal early on." Uwe Zötzsche had put the Saxons ahead after just 12 minutes. "Leipzig were then overwhelmingly superior. I can still remember well that they had ten or fifteen free kicks - always 16 to 20 meters in front of our goal. But they always played the free-kicks in - I don't know why, it was their thing. But the ball always bounced on the snow. If they'd had a real free-kick specialist back then, we would have had a problem," laughs Hörmann.
"So we played the 0:1 over time, fought like lions and got promoted. That was a huge success at the time." Which, of course, was also celebrated. "We were a close-knit bunch, a fun bunch who also knew how to celebrate a victory like that," smiles Hörmann.
"That penalty still haunts me"
"Back in the GDR, we all bought plaid hats. We landed at Graz airport wearing them and were greeted by numerous Sturm supporters. I still have fond memories of that today. More than the quarter-final against Nottingham, where I was at fault for the decisive penalty. That penalty in the 114th minute still haunts me 40 years later," admits Hörmann, who of course also keeps his fingers crossed for the current team.
"I don't go to the stadium that often anymore. But I always watch the games on TV." The Sturm legend is keeping his fingers crossed for one player in particular on Wednesday against RB Leipzig: coach Jürgen Säumel. "Jürgen was my captain back then when I was sports director at Sturm. Even as a youngster, he knew how to lead a team. And he has what it takes to become a great coach. I'm quite sure of that."
The matches in the UEFA Cup against Lok Leipzig in 1983 remain unforgotten. And Sturm also relied on animal help: "When Sturm takes to the field with Lok Leipzig in Liebenau today, luck is also required. Luck that the mayor of Graz, Stingl, is having transported to the stadium four-legged - and alive this time: A young, round, pink sow should scamper through the Sturm dressing room before the start of the game and spread luck," wrote the then sports director Wilfried Silli in the "Steirerkrone" on November 23, 1983.
Around 14,000 supporters attended the 2-0 home win in Liebenau, bringing in 1.6 million shillings for the club at the time. Sturm was never the favorite, but apparently had an advantage in footwear. Silli wrote: "Something else contributed to the victory: Leipzig's footwear. They had decided - after a two-hour test - to play in running shoes. And they slipped in the first 45 minutes like on an ice rink."
Bozo Bakota was only on the bench for the second leg after suffering a torn lung. Without their top striker, Graz shambled their way to a 1-0 draw. After that, there was no stopping them. Promotion was perfect! Everyone celebrated - including the "Krone", which wrote about the "most beautiful defeat in club history" over 41 years ago.
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