Zero for champions

LIVE: Ferserl! Wattens takes the lead against Sturm

Here with his head on the ball, but later with his heel, the winning goal scorer for WSG Tirol: Jamie Lawrence (right)(Bild: GEPA)

WSG Tirol remains Sturm Graz's nemesis in the current Bundesliga season! The Tyroleans won 1-0 in Saturday's home game in the 19th round at Tivoli Stadium Tirol, securing three points against the champions, as they did in their 3-1 win in Graz before Christmas.

The Styrians suffered their second defeat in their fifth competitive game under coach Fabio Ingolitsch and failed to climb to the top of the table, at least until Sunday.

(Bild: GEPA)

They are now two points behind LASK, who secured a last-minute 1-1 draw in Ried, and one point behind Red Bull Salzburg, who are away to GAK on Sunday. The Tyroleans, who are in tenth place, further increased their lead over bottom-placed Blau-Weiß Linz and moved to within three points of sixth-placed Ried in the battle for a place in the championship group. Jamie Lawrence was the match winner in heavy rain in Innsbruck with his goal in the 78th minute. This brought the Tyroleans full circle, as their last victory before three consecutive defeats had also been against Sturm on December 3.

Both teams were stingy with highlights before the break. On the hosts' side, a free kick from Nikolai Baden Frederiksen (13th minute) and a long-range shot from Matthäus Taferner (39th minute) were noteworthy, but both missed the target. Sturm's Emir Karic had the best chance, but was denied by Adam Stejskal (45'). Jacob Hödl had played him in, with the striker having come on shortly before for Otar Kiteishvili, who had suffered a thigh injury.

(Bild: GEPA)

Few chances after the break either
 After the break, it was Hödl himself who missed the goal (71'). Shortly afterwards, the visitors lost another player, Jusuf Gazibegovic, due to muscle problems in his thigh. But it got even worse. After a Taferner corner, David Kubatta, who had returned to the starting lineup, headed the ball onto the post, Matteo Bignetti was only able to clear the ball briefly, and Lawrence scored with his heel. In stoppage time, the Graz team, whose new defender Albert Vallci made his debut in the starting lineup, appealed in vain for a penalty, but the whistle remained silent, and rightly so.

This meant that after the 1-0 win over Ried, there was another defeat, and after 13 league games with at least one goal each, the defending champions once again failed to score.

The result:
WSG Tirol – SK Sturm Graz 1-0 (0-0)
Innsbruck, Tivoli Stadium, spectators, referee Simsek

Goal: 1-0 (78.) Lawrence

Yellow card: Mitchell

WSG: Stejskal – Boras, Lawrence, Kubatta (89. Kubatta) – Naschberger, Taferner, Müller, Böckle – Wels (90. Huetz), Ola-Adebomi (75. Hinterseer), Baden Frederiksen (69. Sabitzer)
Sturm: Bignetti – Vallci, Mitchell, Koller – Gazibegovic (75. Malic), Gorenc Stankovic, Fosso (65. Weinhandl), Karic – Kiteishvili (42. Hödl), Kayombo (65. Beganovic), Malone (65. Jatta)