Goals and Highlights: Sturm Graz 1-2 Sporting in Europa League

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1-2.

Paulinho received a card.

Affengruber received a card.

Let's go until 95 minutes.

Coates took advantage of the pass inside the area to finish into the goal and turn the game around for Sporting.

Sporting grew up in the game.

Gyokeres got a rebound inside the area and sent it into the goal.

Pedro Gonçalves tried an individual play, but was disarmed.

Joined: Horvat

Out: Kiteishvilli.

Entered: Pedro Gonçalves and Nuno Santos

Left: Trincão and Matheus Reis.

Paulinho received the ball inside the area and scored a rocket. Scherpen made a great save to prevent Sporting from equalizing.

Kiteishvili finished and Sporting's defense blocked it. On the rebound, Boving dominated, found spaces and inside the area, shot into the right corner to open the scoring.

Sturm Graz tries to get out of defense.

Sporting started attacking again. Trincao headed the ball, but the Sturm Graz defense blocked it.

0-0.

0-0.

Gazibegovic received a card.

ALMOST! Paulinho received a pass on the penalty spot and finished. The ball came off the Sturm Graz crossbar.

Warm game at the moment.

The game is over 30 minutes and both teams are still unable to build dangerous plays.

Finishings: 2-3.

Game without great opportunities so far.

Trincao tried to play, but lost.

The visiting team continues to exchange passes, but still fails to create a great opportunity.

Sporting continues to press.

Sporting started in the attacking field.

0-0.

Our line-up for #STUSCP! 📋 #sturmgraz #UEL pic.twitter.com/JFfidlulfT — SK Sturm Graz (@SKSturm) September 21, 2023

Os Leões 👥 titulares no jogo de hoje! #STUSCP pic.twitter.com/N5bKIZ2YiI — Sporting CP (@SportingCP) September 21, 2023

The UPC-Arena is a football stadium located in Graz, Austria. It is also known as the Merkur Arena due to sponsorship deals. It is the home stadium of SK Sturm Graz, an Austrian football club. The arena has a capacity for around 15,400 spectators and is mainly used for football matches and other sporting and cultural events. The UPC-Arena is an important venue for football fans in the Graz region and has played a significant role in the history of Austrian football.

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"We expect a very competitive opponent, comfortable playing at home and pressing, but the coach gave us all the ideas to put on the field and try to win", he said, ensuring that physically he feels very good. "After a very difficult year off, it has been really good. The pre-season was more difficult in terms of pain, but that is happening. completely overcome, I feel pretty good", he highlighted, adding: "I feel prepared. These sensations already exist. They passed right at the beginning, when I returned to the field, and already I feel one hundred percent. On the coach's part, it was a motivation for me [the coach mentioned at the beginning of the pre-season that Daniel Bragança would be one of the best reinforcements], but we also had a void There are many high-quality hires, and the most important thing is; May we all be prepared. We have a high-quality group, and that's important. the most important thing."

"We're going to face the Europa League in the best possible way, but we want to be focused on tomorrow's game. and try to win", he underlined, before highlighting that "favoritism is seen in within the field”. "É there We need to show it and be in the best possible shape to get the three points,” he highlighted.

"We have evolved a lot, because we have overcome things we did not expect. I've grown mentally and physically,” he considered, also mentioning that he sees the competition in Sporting's midfield as beneficial for the team: “I always look at it in the best way possible, as I'm already in the best position possible. I was in midfield with other great players. Competitiveness helps us grow, I want to do my best and try to play as much as possible", he expressed.

Here are the corrections in Brazilian Portuguese:

"It was kind of Christian [Ilzer, coach of SK Sturm Graz]. We have always had good players, maybe that's why there is this idea. We do not allow ourselves to be carried away by favoritism; We know very well the challenge we face tomorrow. But, to overcome all the challenges, we need to have all the players at their best. There will be no risk of facilitating the game; We will do a normal rotation, according to the characteristics of the players. Some players who will be starters have already retired. they were in the championship.

We want to have possession of the ball. No one is interested. tired out; Everyone is eager to play, but we will choose the best according to the characteristics of the game and the opponent", he stated, then going on to project the approach he expects from the Austrian team. "We're going to watch the opponent more and I've never seen this team get in front of the goal. Press across the field; is a very courageous team; The coach wants to put pressure on the opponent, motivate his players and fans. SK Sturm Graz were closer to the Champions League than us; Sporting CP has more presence in the Europa League. We want to get to a level where we will go to Champions League every year, which didn't happen last year due to our own fault. The objective is to win the game and advance in the group. What matters is; on the field, and it will be It's very difficult tomorrow. I don't care about favoritism and I'm excited to see our team's response,” he replied.

"It's worth a lot as a whole, but number 10 [Otari Kiteishvili] impressed me both offensively and defensively, with the way he presses and his physical ability. They are very strong in duels, in set pieces, they have a very fast defender and several players who can play in different positions, as well as very fast wingers. The way they press left me very impressed. We have to be strong with the ball and maintain our identity. The pressure across the field and the speed with which they recover the ball and counterattack are characteristics of them", he warned.

"The main objective is to Be champion, game by game, because that takes us to the top. Champions League. Being a champion is important. the ultimate goal, is; Most importantly, not only for the future, but also for the financial part. We want to progress in the Europa League, we have the Cups and everyone needs to be prepared and feel important. Marcus [Edwards] and Trincao are international players; We are not talking about players that we will rotate and that will make the team miss. The rotation will be This is done with one priority: to be champion, without neglecting other competitions. We want to be champions again, because that's what it's all about. It's the most important thing and it has nothing to do with our opponents," he explained, continuing.

"The [UEFA] Champions League looks at Sporting CP as an underdog, unlike the Europa League. The degree of difficulty is different. É This is people's perception, also because Sporting CP spends more time in the Europa League and has a different history in the competition, reaching very advanced stages in several editions ;adas, such as the final and the semi-final. This demonstrates a different status. We don’t see competitions differently, but they are seen differently, also because there is a difference. Unknown opponents in the Europa League, but of high quality.

"Knowing whether we are more prepared or not, we need to see over time. It is still too early. We will see in the future if we are better prepared. The team has more experience and has grown in terms of capacity. We know better what we want from games. Before, we were more looking for our identity. The game against LASK [Linz, in the 2020/2021 season] never left our minds; Maybe it was the worst day we had in Alvalade. It reminds us of where we started. We are much more of a team now, but we know these days can happen. We are more prepared now; We'll see if that's the case. proven tomorrow."

Group A: West Ham, Olympiacos, Freiburg and TSC

Group B: Ajax, Olympique de Marseille, Brighton and AEK Athens

Group C: Rangers, Betis, Sparta Prague and Aris Limassol

Group D: Atalanta, Sporting, Sturm Graz and Raków Czestochowa

Group E: Liverpool, LASK, Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse

Group F: Villarreal, Rennes, Maccaibi Haifa and Panathinaikos

Group G: Roma, Slavia Prague, Sheriff Tiraspol and Servette

Group H: Bayer Leverkusen, Qarabag, Molde and BK Hacken

The regulations describe how the competition will be held. Structured, including the group stage, knockout rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

Establishes the specific rules of the game, including scoring regulations, tiebreaker criteria, substitution rules, and other technical rules.

Defines the rules for player registration, including nationality limitations and deadlines for submitting player lists.

In the event of a tie on aggregate during the knockout stages, the regulations specify the criteria to determine which team will advance, such as away goals and extra time.

Establishes the rules of conduct for players, managers and clubs, as well as possible sanctions for infractions.

Details cash prizes for clubs, as well as other financial arrangements such as travel and accommodation expenses.

Sevilla FC (Spain) - Sevilla are the most successful club in the history of the Europa League, having won the tournament several times. They have won the title on several occasions, including consecutive victories in several seasons.

Inter Milan (Italy) - Inter Milan have also won the Europa League on several occasions.

Liverpool FC (England) - Liverpool won the competition before becoming one of the most successful clubs in the UEFA Champions League.

Juventus FC (Italy) - Juventus is another Italian club that has a successful history in the Europa League.

The Europa League is a football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). It is considered the second most prestigious European club competition, behind only the UEFA Champions League. The Europa League is contested by clubs from across Europe that did not qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League or that were eliminated from that competition.

The competition is made up of several stages, including a group stage, followed by knockout rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. The winner of the Europa League wins the right to play in the UEFA Super Cup against the winner of the UEFA Champions League in the same season.

Clubs that perform well in the Europa League may also qualify for the next edition of the Champions League, depending on the classification rules established by UEFA and national leagues. The Europa League is a competition closely followed by football fans across Europe and offers clubs the opportunity to win a European title.

The Sturm Graz vs Sporting game will be played at UPC-Arena, with a capacity of 32.384 people.

My name is Thomas Alencar and I will be your host for this game. We will provide pre-match analysis, score updates and news as it happens live here on VAVEL.