Sturm Graz 1-0 Girona (27 Nov, 2024) Game Analysis - ESPN (UK)
Updated: Nov 27, 2024, 08:22 pm
Girona lost 1-0 at Sturm Graz in the Champions League on Wednesday as Mika Biereth's second-half goal secured the hosts' first points of the competition's group stage.
Both teams are outside the playoff section with three matches left, Girona in 30th place and Sturm 29th, both on three points.
Although Girona dominated possession and controlled most of the match, they never fully tested the Sturm defence, only registering one shot on goal.
Sturm's Biereth broke the deadlock just before the hour mark, slotting home from close range after Girona keeper Paulo Gazzaniga had saved a shot from inside the box.
Girona, surprise third-place finishers in LaLiga last season, should have scored midway through the first half when Iván Martín found himself unmarked in front of an unguarded net but he somehow sent the ball over the bar.
As time ran out for the Spanish side, they poured forward and Cristhian Stuani sent a header wide.
Gazzaniga moved up the pitch for a last-ditch corner, only for Girona to narrowly escape conceding a second goal after Sturm swiftly cleared the ball.
