Scots Overwhelmed

Next “magical” night: Sturm goes all out!

Sturm Graz celebrated with the fans and in the locker room after the match.(Bild: Krone-Collage/GEPA, instagram.com/sksturm)

“It was just magical,” Simon Seidl sums it up. At Sturm Graz, the celebrations were huge after securing a spot in the Champions League qualifiers. 

Three wins in three competitive matches, no goals conceded, and a spot secured in the European Cup group stage: For runner-up Sturm Graz, the new season couldn’t have started any better! That the Graz team would run roughshod over the Scottish near-champions Heart of Midlothian with a combined 6-0 score in the second qualifying round of the Champions League wasn’t exactly expected. This made the joy all the greater in the Styrian camp, who kept their cool even in front of a fantastic crowd in Edinburgh.

Here’s the video of the locker-room celebration:

Following their 4-0 home win, two summer signings—Simon Seidl (64’) and Emran Soglo (68’)—ensured that Tuesday’s away match was also won, and deservedly so. “The Scots tried everything to turn it around, but we didn’t let that happen. We gave it our all from the start; everyone gave 100 percent,” Seidl summed up.

Simon Seidl(Bild: GEPA)

The 23-year-old brother of Rapid’s Matthias Seidl has quickly settled in at his new club. He had already made an impact in the first leg and scored a goal in the commanding 3-0 ÖFB Cup win against Seekirchen before Tuesday’s match. The goal at Tynecastle Park, in front of 20,000 fans, was his highlight so far.

“That’s what you dream of as a kid”
 “Theseare the kinds of games youdreamof asa kid—playing in Scotland in front of 20,000 fans. It was just magical,” said the former player for relegated Blau-Weiß Linz. His coach, Fabio Ingolitsch, also spoke of an “incredible” atmosphere at the start. “That’s why it was so important for us to get through that early phase—that period of intense pressure—cleanly. We handled it very confidently as a unit and worked our way out of it step by step,” analyzed the Sturm coach.

Fabio Ingolitsch(Bild: GEPA)

A lack of clinical finishing by strikers Simon Wlodarczyk and Seedy Jatta prevented them from taking a lead at halftime—a lead that, according to Ingolitsch, would have been well-deserved in what was a truly difficult game. Still, the match didn’t get any more exciting after that. “The thing was, with every successful play, we somehow pulled the plug on them minute by minute. And by the time we scored our first goal at the latest, it was clear to everyone that nothing was going to go wrong anymore,” said the 34-year-old.

After Seidl’s goal, almost the only voices to be heard were those of the more than 500 Graz fans who had traveled with the team, while numerous Hearts fans left the stadium early. “Our fans are incredible; they really go all out, even on the road during the week in Scotland,” said Seidl.

Great jubilation among the fans as well(Bild: GEPA)

Waiting for the next opponent
Their next international trip will take them to Turkey or Poland; on Wednesday evening, Fenerbahçe Istanbul will defend a 1-0 lead from the first leg at Gornik Zabrze. Match dates are then August 4, 5, and 11. Before that, the team aims to get off to a perfect start in the league against WSG Tirol on Saturday.