Gifted midfielder: Olaf Stark. © Sarah Mitterer

A “strong” combination: two cousins ​​cause a sensation

The new football weekend is just around the corner. And it will be a very delicate one, see Oberliga relegation battle. But before we get started, we want to take another look at the last matchday, where a special situation arose.

12 May 2023

From: det

What do Partschins and Schlanders have in common this past weekend? Apart from the fact that both Vinschger clubs won 1-0, nothing really. Partschins leads the table in the regional league and is on the verge of making the historic leap into the top league. Schlanders is now two leagues lower and is still fighting for second place in the 2nd Amateur League, Group A and thus the playoffs.

However, if you take a closer look, it becomes clear that the two clubs and the two games last weekend have something in common. Partschins celebrated a last-minute win against Eppan on Sunday that clearly bears the signature of Olaf Stark. After a strenuous game, the 24-year-old mustered up the strength in stoppage time to sprint across half the field and head a rebound into the goal. The 1-0 win was not only much celebrated, but also immensely important because it meant that Partschins maintained its 4-point lead at the top of the national league.

Alexander Stark also became the match winner. © Sarah Mitterer

Already 24 hours before this event, in Schlanders, 60 kilometers away, it was also a Stark who slipped into the role of match winner. Alexander Stark, Olaf's cousin who is a year older, scored the game-winning 1-0 in a duel with Ritten shortly before half-time, which keeps Schlanders on course in the race for second place.

So it was a very special weekend for the enthusiastic Stark football family. Olaf has been one of the best midfielders in the regional league for some time (already 10 goals this year), while Alexander is a fixture at Schlanders, valued above all for his versatility. Against Ritten, Alexander started on the offensive wing, after the break he was ordered back into central defense and cemented “his” 1-0 win there. It's quite possible that the Stark cousins ​​will cause a sensation again this weekend.