Sturm Graz fails dramatically in the penalty shootout against Olympiakos!

In a thrilling round of 16 match of the Youth League, Sturm Graz's U19s suffered a bitter defeat against Olympiacos Piraeus. Despite a dominant performance in which Graz fired 11 shots on goal, they ultimately had to admit defeat 4-5 on penalties. The game took place in the Merkur Arena in front of 5,531 spectators and was exciting until the last minute.

The game took a dramatic turn when the Austrian team fell behind after a corner kick in the 61st minute. When all hope seemed almost lost, Youba Koita managed to equalize in stoppage time and wake up the spectators once again. But the penalty shootout turned into a nightmare for Sturm: goalkeeper Elias Lorenz had anticipated a few shots, but the balls always found their way into the net. Martin Kern, who started as the fifth shooter, missed the decisive penalty and thus sealed the elimination of Graz, who missed the quarter-final duel with their colleagues from Salzburg, who had defeated Atletico Madrid the day before, as reported by South Tyrol News reported.

Sturm Graz fights bravely

Although the team under coach Christoph Wurm showed a courageous performance, it was not enough to advance to the next round. Olympiacos, which said it was better at implementing its skills in the decisive phase of the game compared to the strike team, benefited from the nervousness in the penalty shootout. This was a crucial moment in the tournament that cost Graz's young talent dearly. This negated situation was also reported by Vienna.at taken up, where the team's performance was recognized despite the defeat.