Stade Brestois 29 2-1 Stum Graz: Brest celebrate Champions League debut with impressive victory

Brest marked their inaugural appearance in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) with a remarkable victory, as goals from Hugo Magnetti and Abdallah Sima led to a 2-1 triumph over Sturm Graz.

The Pirates not only made their debut in this prestigious tournament but also participated in their first-ever match in European football. Eager to impress a lively home crowd, they witnessed a shot from Kenny Lala blocked within the first 15 seconds, while Magnetti's long-range effort went off target.

At the opposite end, Seedy Jatta appeared to have opened the scoring with a skillful lob, but his celebrations were prematurely halted due to an offside call earlier in the play.

Shortly thereafter, the visitors found themselves trailing 1-0 when Magnetti scored a historic first goal with a stunning strike, controlling the ball outside the penalty area before unleashing a powerful shot into the bottom corner, marking Brest's first-ever goal in the UCL.

Despite this setback, the Austrians pressed on and seemed poised to enter halftime behind, with Marco Bizot making a commendable save from William Bøving’s powerful attempt. However, they equalized in injury time through an unfortunate own goal, as Bøving’s misdirected shot deflected off Edimilson Fernandes into the net.

The home side remained resolute, with captain Brendan Chardonnet narrowly missing the target with a header right after the break as they sought to regain the lead.

Just minutes later, the home supporters erupted in cheers once again when Sima delivered a decisive strike, skillfully maneuvering past his defender in the box before curling a shot past Kjell Scherpen.

Sima had an opportunity to extend the lead shortly after, but his flicked header went wide. Nevertheless, this miss proved inconsequential, as Sturm Graz struggled to create chances in their pursuit of an equalizer, fading as the match progressed.

Their situation deteriorated further when Dimitri Lavalée was sent off late in the game, receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Magnetti.

Consequently, the Austrians have now gone nine UCL away matches without a victory, a streak that dates back to 2001, whereas Éric Roy’s team was left to celebrate just their second win of the season in all competitions.