27. August 2024
Before the game, Sturm’s Ivica Osim and Klaus Roitinger posed with the trophy, after which Ried won it with a 3-1 triumph. ©
In the second round of the Uniqa ÖFB Cup, SV Guntamatic Ried will host the reigning champions and cup winners SK Sturm Graz on Wednesday. Kick-off in the Innviertel Arena is at 6 p.m. (live on ORF 1).
Cup duels against Sturm Graz hold a special place in Ried’s club history. Ried celebrated one of its greatest successes on May 19, 1998 in Vienna’s Hanappi Stadium under coach Klaus Roitinger with a 3-1 victory in the cup final against Sturm.
“When you go into a game as an underdog, the course of the game is of course decisive in whether you can create a sensation. We went 2-0 ahead, thanks in part to a ‘Panenka penalty’ from Goran Stanisavljevic. Sturm opened up and we were able to hold on to the lead until shortly before the end. The 3-1 victory was certainly the greatest success of the 1990s, Sturm Graz were considered unbeatable at the time. They were among the best teams in Europe in the Champions League. This victory will never be forgotten,” recalls the then coach Klaus Roitinger.
No distractions
There was also a very special preparation for this match: “It was clear to me how important the game was for the club. Everyone involved, players and coaches, had to realise that it was not just any game. That’s why I had the TVs removed from the hotel rooms. There were no mobile phones back then, so of course there were a lot of complaints about there being no TVs in the rooms. I then told them that this was intentional because they should only concentrate on the match.”
For Roitinger, a favorable game and the support of the spectators are also the key to a possible sensation on Wednesday: “Sturm may not yet have quite the strength of the previous season, but that is relatively normal after a double victory. Ried is currently showing team unity, a compactness in defense. With the signing of Sané, they have also gained in impact. This is now one of the few games in which Ried is not the favorite. The support of the spectators will help us and if the game goes well, anything is possible.”
SVR head coach Maximilian Senft also stresses that everything has to be right for a promotion against Sturm Graz: “If we want to have even the slightest chance against Sturm Graz, it is essential to bring our identity in its purest form onto the pitch. That means remaining resilient despite huge resistance and absorbing the energy of our fans in the difficult phases of the game in order to constantly push ourselves.”
Small Rieder Series
In the 2010/11 season, there was also a duel against Sturm Graz on the way to winning the Ried Cup, also in Ried. With goals from Daniel Royer and Anel Hadzic, Ried celebrated a 2-1 victory in the quarter-finals under coach Paul Gludovatz.
This was followed by victories against Rapid and Austria Lustenau, giving Ried its second cup title. Ried is also the last club to defeat Sturm Graz in the ÖFB Cup. On October 27, 2021, Ried also won 2-1 in the round of 16 in Graz.
Tickets for the game are available at the SV Ried office, online at svried.at and from 4 p.m. on the day of the game at the stadium box office. Seats in categories one and two cost 22 and 20 euros respectively, children up to 15 years of age pay six euros in both categories. Tickets for the West standing area are available for 13 euros full price and for children for four euros.
Discounts are available for pensioners, students, those doing civil and military service, young people up to 19 years of age and SVR season ticket holders. A VIP ticket is available at full price for 150 euros, at the subscription price for 120 euros and for children for 60 euros (each excluding 20 percent VAT).
