the StormNet-Reader ratings of the individual players as well as the coach and the referee team of the last game have been completed and all submissions have been evaluated. We averaged all received ratings for each player and added a (subjective) written review. After every match we not only want grades, but also the honorable title “Man Of The Match‘ awarded to the player with the best overall average score.
The Danish striker scored his fourth goal in three games. (c) Martin Hirtenfellner Photography
Rasmus Højlund – Note: 1.69
Sturm’s new Danish bomber hits and hits. Højlund scored his fourth goal in his third competitive game, this time from a penalty just before the end of the game. The 19-year-old newcomer from Copenhagen was already present before that and again and again showed his enormous qualities in this game. Almost a quarter of an hour before the end of the game, the Dane failed with a really good shot at Hartberg goalie Swete. In the 90th minute he duped the Hartberg defense and was put down by the Oststeirer goalkeeper. Højlund converted the due penalty in an extremely cool way and made it 3-0 with his fourth goal in Grazer dress. Rasmus Højlund will bring much joy to SK Sturm and its fans in the future.
Gregory Wüthrich – Note: 1,81
The central defender played a strong game and, together with his defensive colleagues, managed to keep a clean sheet for the first time in the second half of the season. Wüthrich scored his third goal of the season in the 75th minute after a Jantscher free kick and thus made the preliminary decision. The Swiss acted really confidently and conducted Sturm’s defense very well. At the back, Wüthrich and his teammates didn’t allow much and up front, Sturm’s number 5 could always cause danger. Shortly after his goal, the Swiss served Højlund in an exemplary manner, but he just missed. Wüthrich was one of the best that afternoon and crowned his performance with the goal to make it 2-0.
David Affengruber – Note: 2,06
The young defender played a really strong game and could also cause danger from time to time. Affengruber found Sturm’s first good opportunity in the 21st minute and hardly made any mistakes on the defensive. The central defender from the Salzburg juniors showed a strong positional play and defended quite safely. It was a good performance by Affengruber, he was also more focused on set pieces and defended better than last time.
Stefan Hierländer – Note: 2,08
The captain is back! Hierländer delivered the usual strong running and fighting performance and gave Sturm a 1-0 lead in the 56th minute in front of a little over 10,000 spectators after a strong pass from Prass. It was the first goal for the Carinthian this season. Otherwise, the captain worked as usual and could be found almost everywhere on the pitch. Hierli hasn’t succeeded in everything and you can tell that Hierländer hasn’t reached 100 percent yet. However, it is immensely important for Sturm that the captain is back on the pitch.
Jon Gorenc-Stankovic – Notes: 2.11
The Slovenian acted again as the control center in midfield and showed a decent performance. As usual, Stankovic showed a lot of willingness to run and always kept an overview. Together with his teammates, Sturm’s number 4 didn’t allow much out of the game and was increasingly involved in the build-up of the game. Stankovic’s presence on the pitch is extremely important and the Slovenian has become an integral part of the team.
Jörg Siebenhandl – Grade: 2.18
The storm goalie had relatively little to do throughout the match and was there when needed. In the first half, Siebenhandl parried a good chance from Hartberger, otherwise he was more confident with high balls than before and exuded the usual calm.
Alexander Prass – Note: 2,23
The 20-year-old midfielder from the Salzburg youth team seems to be getting in better shape and once again put in a strong performance. Prass had a really good idea in the 56th minute and played a nice chip behind the Hartberger defense. Hierländer started perfectly and used ice cold to lead Sturm. Prass also reeled off a few kilometers in this game and showed a lot of willingness to run. Sturm’s 8s had some good moves that showed his strength on the ball and technique. Due to his running-intensive style of play, he ran out of strength at the end and was replaced in the 77th minute by the young homegrown player Moritz Wels.
Jakob Jantscher – Grade: 2.40
Especially in the first half, JJ was one of the absolute assets in Graz’s offensive game and also found the best chances. In the 35th minute, his shot was blocked by the Hartberg defense, just before the half-time whistle he failed with what was then the best chance at Hartberg goalie Swete. Jantscher was involved in a goal again and put in his usual good performance. In minute 86 he was replaced by the young Admira new signing Kronberger.
Jusuf Gazibegovic – Note: 2,73
Unfortunately, it was again a shaky performance by Gazibegovic, who lacked a little security in the last few games. The right-back kept trying to step into the offensive, but his cross attempts and passes were usually too imprecise. Gazi’s defensive performance was fine and he hardly made any mistakes. You can still expect more from Gazibegovic in the upper playoff, the competition for the 21-year-old Bosnian will definitely increase after the return of Sandro Ingolitsch.
Amadou Dante – Rating: 2.76
The left-back made an effort and hardly made any mistakes. Nevertheless, his performance was rather shaky and the offensive attempts hardly caused any danger. The 21-year-old from Mali didn’t give up any chances to score, but Dante isn’t always confident in every action.
Anderson Niangbo – Note: 3,27
The player from the Ivory Coast just doesn’t seem to get going under Christian Ilzer and therefore got very little playing time. This time he was allowed to play from the start due to the absences of Sarkaria and Ljubic, but couldn’t really take advantage of this opportunity. Niangbo tries to make a positive contribution to Sturm’s offensive game, but unfortunately he didn’t succeed enough in this game either. Consequently, he was substituted after an hour and replaced by Kuen. The loan agreement with Ghent ends in the summer, the signs are probably goodbye.
substitute
Andreas Kuen (from the 61st minute) – grade: 3.07
The Tyrolean came on after the hour for the weak Niangbo to provide more offensive accents. Kuen didn’t really succeed. He made an effort, but the midfielder couldn’t really contribute anything that counted. Kuen’s contract expires in the summer, but it remains to be seen whether it will be extended. Kuen did not recommend an extension with this performance.
Lukas Jäger (from the 77th minute) – grade: 2.81
Jäger came on for Gazibegovic and defended calmly and solidly until the end of the game.
Moritz Wels (from the 77th minute) – grade: 2.62
The self-made player was substituted for the strong Prass and collected a few minutes of use in the top division. Wels could not set any offensive accents.
Luca Kronberger (from the 86th minute) – grade: 2.69
The new Admira signing came on for Jantscher and was allowed to make his debut for Sturm in the last few minutes. Except for his first yellow card, Kronberger’s first few minutes were unremarkable.
Other reviews
Christian Ilzer – Note: 2,17
The head coach prepared his team well for the opposition and should have put the main focus on defending set pieces during the training week. This time, his players seemed much more concentrated when the Hartbergers were stationary. Out of the game, nothing was allowed except for one chance and they managed to cause danger again and again on the offensive. So Ilzer was able to celebrate the first home win with his team.
The team of referees led by Manuel Schüttengruber – grade: 2.41
It was a good performance by the Upper Austrian referee. He saw the decisive actions correctly and correctly awarded a penalty when Swete fouled Højlund in the 90th minute. Otherwise, Schüttengruber had a quiet working day because the game was conducted fairly.
The SturmNetz team would like to say thank you for the 171 reviews received and dedicate the following number to the man-of-the-match:
