The fifth episode of “11 volte Cornaredo” is now online; this series sees FC Lugano looking back at some of the most memorable evenings spent at the club’s historic stadium. The protagonists of the new episode are Mijat Marić and Johnatan Sabbatini, who are asked to look back to 21 April 2022, when Lugano beat Lucerne in the Swiss Cup semi-final at the end of a night full of tension, twists and turns, and joy. That victory would then pave the way for success in Bern against St. Gallen, bringing the Cup back to Ticino after almost thirty years.
In the account given by the two former bianconeri players, the emotional weight of that evening immediately comes to the fore. Marić describes it as a moment marked by pain, pressure and the desire to end his career on a high note. The former Bianconeri defender did not arrive at the semi-final in peak condition, but decided, together with the coaching staff, to grit his teeth and take to the pitch anyway in an atmosphere he himself recalls as incredible, with Cornaredo packed to the rafters and fireworks providing the backdrop. Sabbatini, on the other hand, watched that night from the stands, an unusual and difficult situation for him, but no less intense for that. As a reluctant spectator, he says he felt fear during the decisive moments, whilst continuing to believe wholeheartedly in his teammates and in what the team was building.
One of the most powerful moments in the episode is, of course, the recollection of the penalty shoot-out. Marić, who was already physically exhausted that evening, relives the moment when he found himself taking one of the most important penalties of his career, only to see the ball crash against the crossbar.
The conversation between the two protagonists also highlights the human values of that squad. Sabbatini emphasises how that team shared so much, not only on the pitch but also off it, whilst Marić speaks openly of a group made up of ‘real people’, united by the same goal and the desire to bring a chapter to a close in the best possible way. It is no coincidence that, in their account, that cup run also takes on the significance of a perfect conclusion for a team that already knew it had reached the end of an important journey.
Alongside the semi-final, the account inevitably touches on the final in Bern and the significance of that victory. Sabbatini, who wore the captain’s armband at the Wankdorf, recounts feeling the weight and pride of representing not only himself but also the teammates with whom he had shared a long journey. Marić, however, forced to watch the final from the sidelines due to a hamstring injury sustained just after the semi-final, recalls with emotion the first hug he received from Sabbatini at the end of the match.
Finally, what makes this story even more significant is the connection with Cornaredo, the true thread running through the entire column. For Marić, the bianconeri’s stadium was first a boyhood dream and then a goal achieved with pride; for Sabbatini, on the other hand, it is the place where he experienced the finest moments of his career, in both victory and defeat.
This is why the semi-final against Lucerne, played and won in that stadium, takes on even greater significance today: not only the decisive step towards the Cup, but also one of the last great nights to be consigned to the memory of Cornaredo.
THE FIFTH EPISODE OF '11 TIMES CORNAREDO' IS NOW AVAILABLE: