Rueters
Thursday, November 9, 2000; 4:58 PM

GRAZ, Austria, Nov 9 – Spanish favourites Espanyol suffered a 1-0 defeat to Graz AK on Thursday but still eased comfortably into the third round of the UEFA Cup.

Espanyol had hammered the Austrians 4-0 in Barcelona a fortnight ago and were content to sit on their lead in the second leg.

Defender Anton Ehmann scored Graz's matchwinner in the 65th minute with a shot from well outside the penalty area.

Graz missed several first-half chances in their unlikely bid to emulate local rivals Sturm Graz, who surprised many on Tuesday by reaching the last 16 of the Champions League.