Sturm Graz saw off Gintrà-Universitetas 2:1 in the first qualifying round semi-finals of the UEFA Women's Champions League on Tuesday evening. The Austrian side needed everything to come together in the second half, and by then they had turned a tight contest into a victory that sends them through.
K. Pereviznyk gave the hosts the lead at the twenty-minute mark, a quiet goal that set the tone for a match where Graz controlled territory but rarely looked like breaking through. S. Grossgasteiger picked up a yellow card on thirty-five minutes, and the game settled into a pattern where the visitors sat deep and soaked it up.
Substitutions started coming on the restart and the game opened up. J. Blazevicute and G. Knutzen came on together for Gintrà-Universitetas at the break, while Sturm brought on J. Riedler, M. Spiess and T. Brown in quick succession. L. Breznik struck at eighty minutes and then again in the third minute of stoppage time, and that was that.
and here's the thing — the numbers tell a different story. Graz had seventy-two percent possession, ninety-two attacks to sixty-one, and twelve shots on target against three. They won twelve corners to one, but the away end never stopped watching, and cup football has its own rules.
The result extends Sturm Graz's unbeaten run to eight across all competitions. Gintrà-Universitetas had won their last away fixture against Riga but dropped points in Edinburgh, and this result means they have nothing to do all evening now.