Evanilson opened the scoring with a header in the 43rd minute, giving the hosts a deserved lead after a first half in which Sturm struggled to impose themselves. Rayan doubled Bournemouth’s advantage in the 76th minute, before Álvaro Rodríguez converted a stoppage-time penalty to complete the result at the Vitality Stadium.
The victory followed Bournemouth’s win away to Real Sociedad and gave Rose another positive result in Europe. Speaking to TNT Sports, the manager emphasised the collective performance rather than focusing on individual contributions.
“Performance-wise, clean sheet, attitude, effort - a deserved win and now we have to continue, have to get consistent in these things and Sunderland is the next challenge.”
Rose said the depth of his squad was particularly important with a busy run of fixtures ahead, pointing to the willingness of players to compete for opportunities.
“I believe in this team and know they are always confident despite a difficult situation. The squad is working, everyone is keen to play, everyone deserves to play and its good for us for the busy weeks to have a competitive squad.”
He also highlighted the importance of Bournemouth’s supporters and the need to carry the same togetherness into their next match.
“If we stick together and play like this and we have our fans then we are hard to play and it's hard to beat us. That's what we should take into the next game.”
Sturm Graz coach Fabio Ingolitsch acknowledged that his side had struggled to match Bournemouth before the break, although he felt they improved after the interval and created a chance to change the contest.
“We expected a tough game. We had problems in the first half as we were a bit too passive and too deep, but in the second half we were braver. We pressed higher up the pitch and had a good phase in the game when we were dominant and had a big chance to make it 1-1,” Ingolitsch told UEFA.
The Austrian side could not convert that opportunity, and Bournemouth’s second goal made the task more difficult. Ingolitsch nevertheless saw value in facing stronger opponents as his young squad develops.
“We have a very young, inexperienced team and these moments are good for us to learn and develop. We want to play with young talents and give them the stage to perform on. We develop as a team and we learn from the best.”
For Bournemouth, the clean sheet and three different goalscorers offered encouragement as the club continues its first European campaign. Rose’s message was clear: the result mattered, but consistency and collective effort must follow.