The tenth and penultimate episode of “11 volte Cornaredo” is now online; this is the series through which FC Lugano continues to look back at some of the most significant stories from the club’s historic stadium.
The star of the new episode is Antonio Chiesa, a Lugano player from the late 1960s and a member of the team that won the Swiss Cup in 1968 – the club’s second in its history. This success came 37 years after the club’s first triumph in 1931 and was set to open the doors to Europe for the bianconeri.
The story begins with that very generation – a squad with strong Ticino roots that left a significant mark on the history of FC Lugano. Chiesa, who was still very young at the time, recalls the pride of wearing the black-and-white shirt, the value of that trophy and the significance of a team that managed to take the club’s name beyond national borders.
A few months after winning the Swiss Cup, Lugano faced Barcelona in the first round of the Cup Winners’ Cup. The first leg was played on 18 September 1968 at Cornaredo and ended 0–1 in favour of the Catalans; the return leg, two weeks later in Spain, ended 3–0. Regardless of the result, for Lugano it was a highly prestigious fixture against a side already accustomed to international stages and facilities.
In this episode, Chiesa reflects on the emotions of that double-header: the atmosphere at Cornaredo, the feeling of going head-to-head with an opponent of a different calibre, and the impact of the away trip to Barcelona – from the stadium and the changing rooms to a different way of approaching professional football.
Cornaredo remains ever-present in the background, now consigned to Juventus history following its farewell on 17 May 2026. For Chiesa, that stadium is where it all began: from the side pitches to his first thrills as a footballer, right through to the memorable evenings spent wearing the Lugano shirt.
Watch the full episode of “11 volte Cornaredo” with Antonio Chiesa below.