GRAZ (Interstat) — Marco Hoffmann scored twice inside the first 25 minutes, and Hartberg added two more goals after the break to defeat Grazer AK 4-0 at Merkur Arena in Graz on Friday. Hoffmann’s early brace set the tone for the visitors, while Grazer AK could not find a response in a match that turned decisively in Hartberg’s favor before halftime. Hartberg completed the scoring later in the second half and kept a clean sheet.

Hoffmann opened the scoring in the 12th minute and doubled Hartberg’s lead in the 25th. He finished with two goals in 71 minutes. Angelo Gattermayer was central to Hartberg’s attacking play and recorded two assists in 80 minutes. Nikolaus Feldhofer made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute and was shown a yellow card in the same minute. Magnus Dalpiaz added an assist in 80 minutes as Hartberg stretched its advantage. The visitors’ fourth goal completed the rout and underlined their control of the match.

Hartberg’s pressure produced the decisive moments, but the game also produced a stream of yellow cards. Schopp was booked in the fifth minute for Hartberg, Hofleitner in the 27th and Cvetko in the 47th for Grazer AK, Diarra in the 55th for Hartberg, Michorl in the 58th for Grazer AK and Feldhofer in the 63rd for Hartberg. Hartberg made an early substitution involving Komposch in the seventh minute. Grazer AK made a change at halftime involving Markovic and another in the 58th involving Grosse. Hartberg substituted Feldhofer and Hoffmann in the 71st minute, while Grazer AK substituted Hofleitner and Cvetko in the 74th. Grazer AK brought on Trummer in the 80th, the same minute Hartberg substituted Gattermayer and Dalpiaz.

The result moved Hartberg’s record in the competition to 5 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws. Hartberg is now 6 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws across all competitions. Grazer AK’s competition record stands at 2 wins, 5 losses and 4 draws, and its overall record is 3 wins, 6 losses and 4 draws. Hartberg entered after a 2-1 win at Austria Vienna and a 1-0 home win over Wolfsberger AC. Grazer AK had lost 4-0 at home to Altach in its previous competition match and had drawn 1-1 at Tirol before that. Earlier in the season, Hartberg also had a 3-1 loss at Rapid and a 4-3 home win over A. Lustenau. Grazer AK had also lost 6-1 at Sturm Graz and drawn 0-0 at home with Salzburg. Those recent results gave Hartberg the stronger recent form, and the visitors translated it into an early lead.

Grazer AK’s home defeat at Merkur Arena left the hosts chasing the game from the 12th minute. Hoffmann’s second goal gave Hartberg a cushion before halftime, and Feldhofer’s strike after the break removed any realistic doubt about the outcome. Hartberg’s ability to turn possession and pressure into goals was the defining feature of the night, with Gattermayer and Dalpiaz contributing assists and Hoffmann leading the scoring. Grazer AK’s disciplinary record in the match included four yellow cards, while Hartberg received three. The visitors managed the second half well after their early breakthrough and protected the lead while adding to it. Grazer AK, by contrast, could not convert its spells of possession into a goal and was forced to chase the match after conceding twice in the opening 25 minutes. The visitors finished the match with four goals from their attacking efforts and did not allow Grazer AK to pull one back.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Hartberg 2, Grazer AK 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Hartberg with a 66.6 percent probability to win.