Hartberg cruises into Cup Round of 16 in Steyr

In the second round of the UNIQA ÖFB Cup, TSV Hartberg secured a 4-0 victory against SK Vorwärts Steyr.

Hartberg demonstrated superiority from the start. Postl (7') and Lukic (10') were initially denied by Vorwärts goalkeeper and captain Staudinger, but after a quarter of an hour, the long-overdue 1-0 lead was achieved.

Following a Lukic cross, Kainz headed the ball towards goal, and Staudinger could only clear the ball from behind the line.

Hartberg decides the match early

Hartberg's second goal quickly followed the opener. Gattermayer, one of Hartberg's most active players in the first half, dribbled solo through the Vorwärts defence and scored to make it 2-0 (18').

A good ten minutes later, Hoffmann made it 3-0, sliding in to convert a through ball from Postl (29'). A deflected shot from Dalpiaz (41') made the score 4-0 in favour of the Bundesliga team from Hartberg before the break.

Steyr had only one chance in the first 45 minutes, with TSV goalkeeper Pecsi comfortably saving Rama's attempt after a Martic cross (21').

Steyr goalkeeper prevents heavier defeat

After the break, the confident Hartberg players eased off slightly. While this saw Steyr stabilize defensively somewhat, they still had to concede further chances to Hartberg.

Staudinger denied Hoffmann a brace with a strong save (53'), and Lukic also failed to beat the Vorwärts keeper from a tight angle (67').

For Steyr, Weinstabl headed just wide of the visitors' goal (69').

The score remained unchanged in the second half, resulting in a 0-4 defeat for the Upper Austrians. Hartberg, led by coach Markus Schopp, thus advanced to the Round of 16 of the ÖFB Cup, while Steyr's cup adventure came to an end this year.