CL win against Leipzig

Sturm celebrates: “I’m still completely shocked!”

The Sturm players celebrate their worthy farewell from the top flight with the fans.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Sturm Graz bowed out of the Champions League with their heads held high with a 1:0 win against RB Leipzig. The champions were not undeserving winners against the top German club on Wednesday and can therefore look forward to a happy end to their first top-flight adventure in 24 years.

"I'm still completely shocked by the six points," said an overjoyed Sturm president Christian Jauk in the catacombs of Klagenfurt's Wörthersee Stadium. 

Christian Jauk

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

After eight games on the biggest stage in European club soccer, the Styrians ended the new league phase in 30th place out of 36 teams. Coach Jürgen Säumel's side looked much improved against Leipzig a week after the sobering 5-0 defeat at Atalanta Bergamo, and teenager Arjan Malic gave the majority of the 26,851 spectators another magical European Cup evening with his golden goal from a corner kick. "It's really unbelievable, it's a dream come true," said the 19-year-old defender euphorically.

Jauk also spoke of a "worthy finish" in the top flight with a view to the Black & Whites' record home crowd. "Grandiose! The first Sturm success in history against a German club and on the Champions League stage - what more could the Sturm heart want?" asked the president, who thanked the team, the fans and the state of Carinthia.

Säumel sees positive development
Säumel soberly analyzed his second CL win on the Sturm coaching bench after the 1:0 against Girona, the 40-year-old rather put his players in the foreground. "I'm happy for the team. This is something special. The win is very important because Leipzig are a top team," said the ex-international. It was a step in the right direction. "We wanted the win more," said defensive boss Gregory Wüthrich. "Although the game was evenly poised, perhaps luck was on the side of the brave."

Jürgen Säumel

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Säumel explained that his team had made "very good progress" in the Champions League. "In the beginning, there were still games where they had to learn the ropes," he said, referring to the narrow defeats in Brest (1-2) and Dortmund (0-1) under former coach Christian Ilzer. In general, however, the league phase must be assessed correctly. "Apart from Bergamo, they were all close games where we could have picked up a point or two. But to be honest, we had the necessary luck against Girona and also today," emphasized Säumel.

Bonuses in the millions
The club had not calculated on six points, said Jauk after the success against the fifth-placed team in the German Bundesliga, and the Sturm players can now look forward to "big bonuses". The two victories have added a total of 4.2 million euros in points bonuses to the club's coffers, while 30th place is also worth several million thanks to a special UEFA value bonus and performance-related bonuses and is a welcome source of income in addition to the entry fee of 18.62 million euros.

In any case, Jauk called for prudence. "Now we have to stay grounded. In the last ten days, the keywords have been debacle, disaster, sell-off. Now you win in the Champions League and suddenly everything turns around again." For Sturm, the focus is now on the Cup quarter-final against Vienna Austria on Saturday (18:15/live in the sportkrone.at ticker) in Liebenau, as Säumel emphasized several times. "It's blow by blow. We absolutely have to make sure that we confirm our performance on Saturday," said the coach.

The departures of goalscorer Mika Biereth and defender Jusuf Gazibegovic are to be compensated for on the transfer market before the spring league opener on February 7, when Graz will once again host Austria. According to media reports, negotiations with 19-year-old defender Emran Soglo from Olympique Marseille are at an advanced stage, while the signing of Algerian attacker Adil Boulbina (21) from Paradou AC is also on the table.