Derby Spectacle! Sturm steamrolls GAK after shock moment

The "Blackies" fall behind early and then lose their goalkeeper. Nevertheless, the Ingolitsch eleven show character and turn the game around within minutes.

Source text: © LAOLA1

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SK Sturm Graz wins the 204th Graz Derby!

The "Blackies" prevailed against their big city rivals with a deserved 6-1 victory in front of a sold-out crowd in Graz-Liebenau, thanks to a furious four-minute spell before halftime.

While Sturm celebrates its biggest derby win (as in 1956, 1958, and 2000), the long wait continues for the "Rotjacken" (Red Jackets). Their last victory against Sturm dates back almost 20 years, to November 11, 2006.

Good Start for GAK

The match actually started perfectly for the underdog. Christopher Cvetko scored the opener for the Scheiblehner eleven with his left foot after a long throw-in (10').

After half an hour, things got even tougher for Sturm: regular goalkeeper Daniil Khudyakov suffered a serious injury during a challenge by Jacob Italiano and had to be stretchered off (all info >>>).

Sturm Responds - and How!

However, Fabio Ingolitsch's team refused to be beaten. The reaction came on the pitch after the injury break.

Within just four minutes, midfield gem Luca Weinhandl from distance (37'), Jürgen Heil after a counter-attack (39'), and Oumar Diakite after a pinball-like sequence (41') completely turned the game around.

In the lengthy stoppage time of the first half, Joshua Quarshie also scored, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR check for offside (45'+7).

Diakite with a Hat-trick

In the second half, the "Schwoazn" continued exactly where they left off in the first half.

Namely, with several goals in quick succession, this time two within 100 seconds: Simon Seidl assisted the onrushing Diakite twice, and the striker from Ivory Coast scored both times (49'/51').

While Diakite scored his sixth goal of the season, Seidl now has seven assists to his name.

And Sturm didn't stop there. After a corner from Seidl, captain Jon-Gorenc Stankovic scored to make it 6-1 (75').

Staying in Contention

With this clear home victory, Sturm remains in contention with the league's top trio. With 17 points, they are currently in fourth place. On Thursday, they face a tough home match in the Europa League against Marseille.

GAK, on the other hand, suffered their first defeat under new coach Scheiblehner. They are now in eighth place in the table.