A game which always had the makings of a home banker presented precious few problems for a weakened Manchester United, the only surprise being the paucity of thought employed on both sides.
A victory which was never really in any doubt was sufficient to guarantee that United won their qualifying group which means they will be seeded when the draw for the second phase is staged on Friday lunchtime.
However, with all the third-placed teams being granted belated admission to the UEFA Cup - a most handsome reward for failure - there was an enthusiasm about Graz's game which had not been present when these teams met last month.
As a result it helped produce as open and fluid a game as a tournament famed for its sense of restraint is likely to yield all season. Graz never once hesitated to commit men in forward positions, even though it was often undertaken with an almost callous disregard for their own safety. Having decided to gamble, Graz applied enough pressure to instil a sense of panic in the United defence. Indeed, the Austrians almost went in front as early as the third minute when Ivica Vastic struck the foot of a post from an unsympathetic angle.
However, chances were to be created and squandered at both ends, Ryan Giggs showing precious little positional awareness five minutes later in heading a Gary Neville cross high over the bar. Such profligacy was proving to be contagious with Andy Cole being subsequently guilty of two awful blunders. Having stabbed wide after a Henning Berg header had fallen invitingly at the far post, he then saw his low shot scrambled off the line and away by Gerald Strafner when scoring appeared to represent the easier option.
Spurred on by United's inability to apply the finishing touch, Graz promptly struck the woodwork for a second time, Tomislav Kocijan hitting the angle of post and bar after fine work by Jan-Pieter Martens.
It was open but also dull - a game of tireless running, commendable endeavour but no great quality. For long periods in a disturbingly pedestrian second half one could have heard a pin drop.
Then, after 51 minutes, came the merciful relief of a goal. It was a gem, too, and totally out of keeping with what had gone before. Although a Graz defender successfully cleared a Jonathan Greening cross, the ball fell directly in front of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who swept in a blistering, left-foot volley from 20 yards.
Briefly the evening hinted at promise but, as Graz began to lose self-belief the potential for further intrigue began to diminish.
That potential was to disappear completely just after the hour when Roy Keane steered home low and hard after a David May header had struck the bar.
Graz's perseverance was to be finally rewarded, though, four minutes from time when Vastic stroked home a penalty after he had been up-ended by Giggs.
Man Utd: Bosnich, G Neville, Berg, May, Irwin (Higginbottom 76), Greening (Cruyff 65), Keane, Wilson (P Neville 53), Giggs, Solskjaer, Cole. Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Stam, Yorke, Clegg. Booked: Wilson. Goals: Solskjaer 56, Keane 69.
Sk Sturm Graz: Schicklgruber, Strafner, Neukirchner, Prilasnig, Schopp, Mahlich, Angibeaud (Bardel 71), Minavand, Martens (Reinmayer 71), Vastic, Kocijan (Bochtler 74). Subs Not Used: Sidorczuk, Szabics, Grobl. Goals: Vastic 87 pen.
Referee: R Pederson (Norway).
