Sturm Graz 1-0 Girona: Biereth fires hosts to first win

Sturm Graz climbed from the bottom of the Champions League table after Mika Biereth’s second-half strike in a 1-0 victory over Girona on Wednesday.

Sturm’s Biereth broke the deadlock just before the hour mark, slotting home from close range after Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga had saved a shot from inside the box.

Girona should have scored midway through the first half when Ivan Martin found himself unmarked in front of an unguarded net but he somehow sent the ball over the bar.

That miss characterised familiar struggles for Michel’s men in this competition, with last season’s surprise package in LaLiga slipping down to 30th in the standings.

Girona have just one win to their name in this season’s Champions League, in which Sturm collected their first points of the campaign with this victory.

Sturm Graz get their first win of the league phase #UCL pic.twitter.com/S9qODKzlVt

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 27, 2024

Data Debrief: Away-day struggles for Girona

Girona have lost all three of their away games in the Champions League without scoring a goal, becoming the first Spanish side to ever suffer consecutive defeats in their first three away matches in the competition.

Goals remain an issue for Michel’s side, who have failed to score in three of their five games, only Bologna (four) and Salzburg (four) have failed to score more often in the 2024-2025 tournament.

Wednesday also marked Sturm Graz’s first win against a Spanish side in Europe, previously losing five of their six such matches (D1).