Beendet
2:2
1:1
,
1:1
NEWS
Ried laments point against Sturm "Of course we want to win"
After a difficult start, Ried were long on track for victory, but ultimately had to concede a last-minute equaliser. After the final whistle, there are mixed feelings.
Ried almost secured their fourth consecutive victory and their first league success against Sturm Graz since July 2016.
However, because former Ried player Belmin Beganovic scored a late equaliser, the points were ultimately shared (to the match report>>>). There are mixed feelings among Ried officials.
Sturm "turned the pitch into a battlefield"
In the first half, Sturm almost ran over Ried, as veteran Philipp Pomer also said after the match on "Sky": "We received a lot of counter-pressure from Sturm in the first few minutes. Together with the stadium, they turned the pitch into a battlefield."
Ried were exclusively occupied with defensive duties. This was followed by a red card for Sturm's Malic (45.+2.) and a penalty for Ried shortly after, which Pomer himself converted (45.+5.).
Ried dissatisfied: "I'm not so happy right now"
In the second half, Ried, in the person of Isaac Thelin, even turned the game around. After the match, the Swede was naturally delighted with his goal: "I came to Ried to score goals!"
However, because Belmin Beganovic's goal secured the Graz last-minute equaliser, the goal scorer's mood is still dampened: "We led 2-1 for so long. It's always annoying when you don't see it through to the end. It was an intense game, but right now I'm not so happy."
Thelin's teammate Philipp Pomer feels similarly, adding: "Sturm is a huge club in Austria (...) but after the way the game unfolded, of course we wanted to win."
Despotovic: "Next time we will do better"
Ried coach Mario Despotovic sees it similarly. In the second half, his team played well and with the lead, they should have seen out the victory, said the Croat: "Next time we will do better."
The Ried coach was disappointed about the equaliser: "Of course, it doesn't feel as good as if we had won." Nevertheless, the 41-year-old is satisfied with his team's development but wants to remain grounded.
In any case, there isn't much time for Ried to be upset: This coming Wednesday (from 8:30 PM in the LIVE-TICKER>>>), Despotovic and his team face the next tough challenge with the Upper Austria derby against LASK in the Round of 16 of the UNIQA ÖFB Cup.
